


Tales of the Seer and Knight

by Luneth



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Angst, Character Death, Family Feels, Gen, Magic and Stuff, cutthroat politics, mentions of abuse, referenced miscarriage
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-03
Updated: 2017-11-18
Packaged: 2018-11-23 00:14:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 17
Words: 82,408
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11391360
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Luneth/pseuds/Luneth
Summary: Since her mother’s death, Rose has lived with her somewhat enigmatic if well-meaning godfather, who often told her that magic was fake.Rose’s godfather, as it turns out, is a fucking liar, and also not human.Join the Seer of Light as she travels through the world of magic, politics, and danger, learning the secrets of her mother’s past, accompanied by aforementioned guardian Eridan Ampora, who worries a lot and blows things up, and her best friend Dave, who is tagging along for either a. the Hell of it, b. to keep her from dying, c. to avoid going home, or d. any or all of the above. She will meet a whole bunch of other people, including some trolls that seem like generally nice people, some more trolls who are very much not, a windy boy, a spacey girl, a bad dog, and some eldritch beings from the realm of nightmares.Updates Mondays.





	1. Rude Awakening

**Author's Note:**

> A long long time ago I wrote Blood on the Rose, and from that I learned a very important lesson. The lesson I learned was I needed more awkward Godfather Eridan immediately, so now have this.
> 
> As usual, I'm posting once a week. And extra art and content will be on my tumblr blog LunethWrites! Thank you for reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose is your everyday goth teenager, Dave is your everyday coolkid, and then shit goes down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, let's get this show on the road I guess.

“By the seed of darkness planted in me at birth…” Rose sat cross-legged in the circle of candles, eyes closed as she chanted steadily out into the shadows past the small ring of light. “I welcome thee with open arms. Grant me thy power…” She repeated the words from the book carefully and leaned back, spreading her hands out. “By the seed of darkness…”

“Rose!” One lavender eye snapped open in irritation at a frenzy of knocking. A second later, her bedroom door swung open and the lights flickered on. “Young lady, I will not have you going to school without eating.” A tall, slim man, dressed in a black sweater and jeans, scowled at the room over his wide framed glasses. “The fuck did you do to your room?”                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

“Hello, godfather.” Rose let her hands drop back into her lap. “Back from your morning swim already?”

“Mornin swi-Rose, it’s already 7:30.” He ran a hand over his gelled back mahogany curls, fingers dancing over the streak of violet, and stared at the mess on the floor. “The Hell is this?”

“If you must know,” She got up, dusting off her skirt with care around the candles, “I was attempting to summon the Dark One to our world and gain access to his limitless power.” He groaned and rolled his eyes.

“You’re tryin more a that bullshit magic from the books? That stuff is a hundred percent fake as a designer bag in a flea market.”

“Some would consider it bad parenting to so thoroughly put down a child’s interest.” She sniffled in mock sadness. “Why must you tear down my aspirations to raise an army of the undead for my evil purposes?”

“One,” He leaned against the doorframe and held his finger out. “I’m only sayin it so you won’t feel broken later on. You’ve got incredible potential on anythin you put your mind to, so long as it’s not some harlot’s pamphlet at a crummy bookstore. Two,” He paused, then his eyes crinkled with sadness, “nothin brings back the dead.”

Rose nodded solemnly. She knew he was thinking of her late mother, the one who had entrusted him with her care should anything happen to her. A shame it had, but Rose had never been able to say he hadn’t taken the responsibility seriously. She knew he wasn’t as scorning of her interests as he let on. In fact, she suspected he held a secret affinity for them as well. He was the one who had bought her those books, after all, but not before he had read every one of them himself, when he had thought she wasn’t around.

“Look, it’s a fine interest, as long as you realize it’s not **real**.” He huffed and turned to head out to the hallway, but instead slammed his head on the top of the doorway. He swore harshly and clutched his forehead, stomping his foot in frustration. Rose watched with amusement. As a child, she had always been astounded by his height. Now in high school, she was still quite impressed. She swore he must have grown a foot from her childhood to remain so towering over her.

“Anyways.” He stepped out into the hallway, still rubbing his head. “I don’t want you to go wastin your efforts chasin somethin only to get no results.”

“Hm,” A coy smirk spread across her, “or perhaps you are concerned I will finally uncover your wizardly secrets.” He snorted and rolled his eyes. She had long ago started the joke that he was secretly a wizard masquerading as a mundane human. This was mostly based off his uncanny ability to look two decades younger than he was.

“I am still baffled by how you manage to be in your forties and still look 25.”

“I’m 23,” He declared, “An’ no one has to think otherwise.”

“Of course you are,” She answered cheerfully, “Which would have made you 17 when you became my guardian. That’s a little baffling from a legal point of view.”

“No, I was 20 when I took you in.”

“Hm. Perhaps your mind has aged without your body.”

“Hush.”

“Dermatologists hate him.” She began, dropping her voice as a familiar skit started. “Tell us, Mr. Ampora, how have you managed to maintain your youthful figure? A diet of some sort of super-fruit? The blood of virgins, perhaps?” He snorted again as he headed down the stairs.

“Yeah b-positive, especially from mouthy 16-year-olds.”

“Is it the eleven laps you swim at the lake every morning?” She sat down at the kitchen table. “Or more otherworldly tactics?”

“It’s science.” He grunted and sat down across from her, “And genetics. I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

“Really now?” She picked up her fork, spinning it between his fingers. “I may just hold you to it.” He grunted and took a swing of coffee while motioning with his other hand that she eat.

She gulped down some toast and tea to appease him, then got up and ran upstairs to grab her backpack.

“Can Dave come over after school?” She asked as she headed for the door, “We have a project together that we have blissfully ignored until the last day.” He nodded, mouth full of coffee and toast.

“I don’t see why you ask,” He said once he had swallowed, “He’s here more often than not.” He glanced over at the clock. “You need a ride?” Rose checked her watch and shook her head.

“I should be alright, thanks to your nagging on my punctuality.”

“Well maybe next time you wanna do your play rituals, try not doin it before school.” He got up and opened the door for her.

“I will try and keep that in mind.” She answered. He ruffled her hair as she passed by him, but forwent a kiss goodbye. They had tacitly agreed that was not a gesture suited for between them.

“Be safe.” His look turned wistful as he watched her leave. She smiled and waved. He waved back, but didn’t close the door until she had turned down the path and out of sight. Rose had forbidden him from walking her to school since she had turned fourteen, and she had the sneaking suspicion it still bothered him. She did hope he grew out of it by the time she was eighteen.

Dave was waiting for her at the usual meeting spot on the way to school, nudging his skateboard back and forth while he played with his phone.

“Sup Lalonde.” He pocketed his phone and nodded to her, breaking his usual stoic expression to offer a tiny smirk behind his round shades. “I was totally starting to think a demon had eaten you, and I would have to make the entire project on my own.” He fanned his hands out, “Yeah hey class. I was supposed to be doing this with Rose but she got consumed by some tentacle beast from the 31st dimension. What a deadweight, huh?”

“Worry not.” She strode quickly down the street while he glided along on his board. “Eridan kept me from bringing the dark forces to this world on this particular morning.” Dave put his foot down to stop the skateboard’s gliding.

“What’d he do?”

“He foiled my plans with his insistence that I eat something before I head to school.”

“Oh.” Dave pushed off again, zipping past her down the hill. “Did he say I could come over to work on the project?”

“Indeed.” She brushed a stray lock out of her face. “Have we decided on a topic?”

“Nah, we’ll do it later.” They came to a stop outside the school building. Dave kicked his skateboard into his hand and flashed her a thumbs up. “See you third period. Good luck with the scary normal kids.” She rolled her eyes at his words.

“Please Dave, it’s them who need the luck.” He chuckled and headed for the door, face melting into his emotionless mask as they separated.

Rose entered the school and strode through the halls with her chin up and eyes forward. The other students gave her wide berth, if not for her slight reputation, then for her floor-length black dress decorated with skulls, dark makeup, and bright lilac eyes. It meant fewer “good mornings,” but she never found herself stuck in hallway traffic.

They must have made a strange pair to everyone else. The emotionless cool guy hanging out with the frightening princess of darkness. Still, if Rose was to only have one friend in this school, she supposed Dave was an acceptable choice.

The day blended from first to second period. It was the usual dull fare, but something itched at the back of her mind as she tapped her pencil against her notes. It was the kind of feeling like she had forgotten something, but she was sure she hadn’t.

The nagging feeling continued into third period, although with Dave to talk to, it mostly faded from her mind.

“No, no Rose you’re missing the point.” Dave muttered to her out of the corner of his mouth as they both pretended to pay attention to the teacher. “It’s like, seven more layers of irony than you can see. You gotta open your eyes to this shit. You gotta-” A tremor shook the room, causing the class and teacher to look around in confusion. Rose grabbed her pen to keep it from falling off the desk. Her eyes narrowed. This area was nowhere near a fault line. Still, the occasional earthquake could happen anywhe-

“That’s wasn’t an earthquake,” She said suddenly. Dave shot her a bland look with one eyebrow just barely raised. It was his public way of asking her what the fuck she was talking about.

“What was it then?”

“I don’t know.” She gripped her desk with both hands, eyes stretched wide as she stared at the wooden surface. “It just came to me that it wasn’t.”

“What, you think it was kazoolu rising?” Dave joked, spinning his pencil. Rose’s eyes narrowed.

“It’s Cthulhu, and no. I don’t believe it was them, either.”

The ground shook again, this time harder. A second later the loudspeaker blared on and announced an evacuation. They all shuffled out of their chairs and out into the hallway.

“Rose, hey.” Dave tapped her shoulder as they headed for the stairs. “Are you ok? You’re looking kinda pale.” Rose shook her head and wrapped her arms around her stomach. She felt sick, and her heart was beating loudly against her chest.

“I think,” She muttered, “I’m having a panic attack.”

“Whoa, ok.” Dave lightly took her wrist. “Hang on, we’ll be out in the fresh air soon.”

They stepped out into the sunlight, and the first thing the fresh air brought on was the sharp smell of smoke.

“Oh, holy **shit**.” Dave pointed to the column of smoke rising from the gymnasium. “Someone bombed the school.”

“It’s a trap,” Rose gasped, “There are no classes there at that time. They did it on purpose to trigger an evacuation.”

“Rose, hey.” Dave shook his head. “It’s ok, calm down. You’re overthinking things.”

“Dave, I’m not even thinking.” She swallowed. “I just know. Something is telling me these things.”  She raised her head and realized there was another plume of smoke in the sky, this one much farther away, but from that direction…

“Dave.” Her voice went high. “Dave that, that second smoke trail, that’s my house.”

“What?” Dave frowned. “Rose come on, it can’t be-”

“My house is the only one that far west, up on the hill.” Without another word she began to walk forward, heading for the exit. Once she was out of the crowds she broke into a run, ignoring the calls of her teachers as an overwhelming drive forced her toward her home.

She heard wheels running behind her, and Dave glided up behind her on his skateboard.

“School was getting dull anyways.” She ignored his quip and took out her phone, calling home. The line was dead. She gulped and dialed Eridan’s cell instead, but it went straight to answering machine.

They reached the hill and Dave kicked off his skateboard to run along beside her. “So, worst case scenario,” His voice remained steady even as they sprinted upward, “we find your house has been wiped off the map. What do we do then?”

“Find Eridan.” She answered immediately. “He should have a plan.” Dave was silent for a few seconds, then he spoke slowly.

“Rose, I’m not saying this happened, but I’m talking **worst case**. So like, I’m talking if-”

“Rose!” They skidded to a stop. Eridan was striding down the street toward them, wearing a stormy expression. His clothes were burned and torn in some places and he had a rifle gripped in one hand.

“Eridan!” Rose gasped and doubled over, gripping her knees and panting from the run. “The school, and the house-”

“Forget it,” He growled, scanning the area, “Look, we gotta go. I’ll explain-”

There was a whoosh of air and the next thing Rose could process was Eridan being thrown across the street to crash into a building. The cement wall cracked on his impact and he fell limply to the ground, along with a few broken pieces of stone.

A stranger stood before Rose and Dave. He was inhumanly tall, with long black hair reaching down past his shoulders. He was dressed in a tight black shirt and dark blue pants, and the entirety of his skin was ash gray. To add to the strangeness, a pair of orange and yellow horns seemed to sprout directly out of his head.

The stranger examined Eridan’s body awhile longer, then turned to face the two kids. His expression was grim, devoid of guilt or pleasure.

“Rose Lalonde.” His voice was deep, like rolling thunder. He extended a hand toward her. “You are to come with me.”

“Oh holy fuck.” Dave stumbled backwards, dragging Rose with him and holding his skateboard out as makeshift weapon. “Rose, we gotta go-”

“No.” She tried to break out of his hold on her arm. Her eyes were still glued on her fallen guardian. “Eridan, he, he needs to get to a hospital. We need to call an ambulance.”

“Rose,” Dave shook his head, “Rose I am **so sorry** but the building, it fucking broke when he hit it. He can’t be-”

The stranger reached out and grasped Rose’s other arm in a hold so tight it immediately bruised. Dave swung the skateboard against his arm but the stranger caught it with his free hand. The wood snapped under his fingers and he set his steely blue eyes on Dave.

“Run away, human.” Dave stared back, face completely calm. Only Rose could feel his tightly he was holding her arm, and how the grip was trembling.

The stranger easily dragged the two kids toward him. Rose shouted and slammed her foot into his shin. He didn’t even blink, but gripped Dave’s arm, intent on pulling him off.

“THAT WAS A CHEAP SHOT!” All three of them jumped and turned toward the voice. Eridan was on his feet again, albeit a little unsteady. The stranger’s hold loosened for a second and Rose and Dave both tore themselves away, skittering back several feet.

“Eridan!” Rose started toward him but he held his hand out to stop her.

“Rose,” He called out to her without taking his eyes off the other man. “Head to the camphouse. If I’m not back in two hours, call the number in the top shelf of my desk.” Rose swallowed.

“But-”

“Don’t worry about me.” He began to walk toward the stranger. Aside from his face looking a bit gray, he seemed to have shaken off being thrown into a wall. “This prick ain’t gonna be more than a walk in the park.”

“My mistake.” The stranger turned to face Eridan, and a heavy club seemed to appear from thin air into his hands. “I mistook you for a human. My next blow will be adjusted accordingly.” Eridan’s lip curled back, and he spat a bit of blood out onto the sidewalk. Rose blinked. It might have been the light, but from where she stood, it held a dark violet color.

“Rose,” Eridan said, “get goin. I’ll be there soon.”

“Rose.” Dave tugged her arm. “Let’s go. I don’t know what Ampora’s made of over there, but we sure aren’t.” She finally allowed him to drag her around so they were heading away from the other two. “Where’s the camphouse?”

“It’s…this way.” They took off at a run down the street, Rose leading the way. They heard a loud boom behind them and out of the corner of her eye Rose saw a flash of white, but as she turned to look back Dave shook his head and pulled her forward.

 

000

 

“Whoa.” Dave looked around as Rose fumbled with the lock on the door. She had led them to a small cabin out of town, hidden by the forest. “What is this place?”

“It’s the camphouse.” The lock clicked and she let them in. “Eridan takes me here once a year as some kind of change-of-scenery, slow-down thing.” She closed and locked the door behind them. “We have clothes and even a collection of non-perishable food. I always found the whole thing silly,” Her eyes flickered to the far wall, “…just like I thought it was silly how many guns he kept here.”

“Ha…” Dave wandered around, eyeing the semi-automatic rifles on the wall. “It’s like my bro’s collection, but with guns instead of swords.”

“To be honest, I don’t know if they’re his or my mother’s.” She trailed after him. Her voice held a distant, light tone. “They both held a passion for marksmanship.”

“Uh huh.” Dave reached out to let his fingers ghost over one of the weapons. “So, how much do you know about Ampora, anyways?”

“He’s my mother’s childhood friend.” Rose sat down on the couch. “Enjoys history and sharpshooting, and secretly finds magic and wizards interesting.”

“Ok but-” He turned back to her, “Do you know like, his past? What does he do for a living?”

“Apparently he’s old money,” She brushed some dust off the cushion, “He inherited enough that he doesn’t need to work.”

“Alright.” Dave dug his hands into his pockets. “You ever seen that other guy before?”

“No.” She shook her head. “Never.”

“Yeah, just checking.”

Rose took out her phone and checked the local news. The explosions were already on the top of the page. The first was of course the school, and as expected, the site rattled off a familiar home address for the second. There were no pictures, but somehow Rose could imagine the charred remains. The side wing had collapsed, and the entire front entrance was blown out. Her home of sixteen years, reduced to a charred shell and some rubble.

Dave said something. She looked up and blinked.

“What?”

“I said, any idea what this could be about? That creepy guy looked like he wanted you for something.”

“I don’t know.” She shook her head. “Whatever just happened, it seems you weren’t meant to be involved, and I’m sorry for that.”

“Ha, no way.” He chuckled, “Shit’s gone down, but I’m glad I was around. I’d feel like a major dumbass if this happened to you and I hung back at the school.”

Rose watched him fiddle around. He was doing the typical actions of a kid scoping out his friend’s house for the first time, but he hovered by the guns hanging on the wall, occasionally shooting one a glance or cautiously poking it.

She turned her attention to the door. If there was one true thing she knew about Eridan, aside from his slightly startling adoration of her mother, it was that he was a warrior. She saw it in the way his eyes burned when he was angry and the way he strode forward to face danger. She remembered once a robber had broken into their house, armed with a small handgun. As casually as you might flip a pancake, he had shattered the robber’s arm, then kicked him to the ground, knocking him unconscious before he even bothered to call the police. He had kept the handgun too.

But then again, she would guess a difference in ability between a robber and the gray-skinned man.

Dave had picked up a photo frame on the shelf, and had been staring at it for several seconds now. Rose got up and joined him.

“My mom.” She pointed to the smiling woman on the left. “And me.” She tapped the small girl standing in front of her, who was doing her best to scowl at the camera, but it came off as an adorable pout. “This would be a few years before the accident.”

“Huh.” He put the photo down, then turned to another one. “Whoa wait, when was this?”

“That one?” Rose leaned over to see a picture of Eridan and her mother standing together. Eridan looked relaxed for once, and even wore a thin smile. “I think that was a little before she had me.”

“Seriously?” Dave cocked an eyebrow at the two adults. “I always thought Eridan was way younger than her, but they look the same age here.”

“They are.”

“Christ.” He shook his head. “I know you said he looked young for his age but I didn’t think he was **that-** ”

The lock to the front door clicked open. Dave shoved Rose to the side and ripped the gun off the wall, leveling it at the newcomer as the door opened. Rose’s breath caught in her throat when she saw the gray skin and orange horns on the tall figure, then the realization hit her.

“Dave!” She stepped toward him to reach for the gun. “It’s just-” He shook his head violently and brought the scope up to his eye.

“Stay back.” Dave’s voice was inert, but forceful. Rose wasn’t sure if he was talking to Eridan or her.

“For fuck’s sake, Dave.” Eridan scowled. His skin had turned the same ash gray as the other man’s. His hair as well had gone pitch black, save for the usual violet streak. Two jagged horns poked out of his hair, and Rose saw bright yellow fingernails glittering at the tips of his fingers as he raised his hands. “Put that down. You don’t even know how to use it.”

“I’ve played video games,” Dave’s voice remained dead while his hand fiddled over the back. “I watch tv.” He found the safety and flipped it off. “It’s already loaded. Looks good to go.” Eridan’s eyes narrowed.

“Put the gun down, Dave. It’s me.”

“Last I checked, Ampora didn’t have gray skin and horns,” He answered, “And I’m pretty sure that weird dude from before **did**. So I’m gonna need an explanation.”

“You’ll get one,” Eridan growled, “Put the gun down.”

“Nah.”

“Dave.” Rose gaped at him, body tense as she tried to decide on an action. “Dave, it’s Eridan. Put it down.”

“Rose look.” Dave’s eyes flickered to her for a second. “I don’t want to shoot him, and I’m pretty sure vampires and zombies don’t exist. But if they did, it would look something like this. I won’t shoot as long as he doesn’t try anything and tells us-” Eridan pointed at the gun and white fire burst from his fingertip. It hit the gun and the entire thing dissolved into dust in Dave’s arms. Dave blinked rapidly, staring at the mess on his sleeves.

“That was one a Rox’s guns.” Eridan grumbled, closing the door behind him. Rose noticed he had a bag slung over his shoulder. “Quick thinking, and I get that you’re suspicious. I can respect that, but how about you calm down, huh? I ain’t out to hurt either one a ya.”

“He’s telling the truth Dave.” Rose grasped Dave’s sleeve before he could reach for another weapon. “I can always tell when Eridan’s lying.” Dave stared at Eridan awhile longer, then dusted off his shirt.

“How did you do that?” Dave gestured to the dust on the floor. “That was, that was straight up magic.”

“Science.” Eridan grunted and stalked over to the armchair. “I just rearranged the molecules, broke them apart. But yeah, I guess I did use magic to do that.”

Rose hesitantly moved toward the sofa across from him. “You always told me magic was fake, incredibly so.”

“Excuse you.” He thumped down in the chair with a scowl. “Those ‘grimoires,’ those stupid books and spells, those were fake. Utter hogwash. I should know, I read every single one a them before I let you touch any a them. But even then, I was worried if you tried hard enough you’d accidently blow up yourself by pure talent.”

“So you’re saying magic is real…” Rose spoke slowly as Dave sat down next to her, “But not in the way illustrated in my books.”

“A course not.” Eridan crossed his arms. “If you could buy that kind a knowledge in a store anywhere, could you imagine the chaos? People who didn’t know their roots blowin houses up left and right.”

“My roots,” She repeated, “What are my roots?” He paused, and Rose saw sadness flicker across his face before he sighed heavily.

“Rose Lalonde, you have incredible magic runnin through your veins, and carry the potential of bein a Seer. A Seer of the Light Aspect to be exact.” His eyes flickered off the side and hunched forward, clasping his hands together. “It put you in a dangerous position. Your mom didn’t want you growin up under fire like that. So she decided to hide you. I was supposed to tell you about all this when you were like eighteen or somethin.” He shrugged. “But well, what’s a sweep early or so?”

“Ok, I’m following along so far,” Dave cut in, “But dude, why are you gray?”

“Oh,” Eridan leaned back and crossed his legs. “That’s just cause I’m not human. I’m a troll. A Seadweller, a violetblood. I used a magical disguise to avoid attractin attention.”

“So that was your secret,” Rose mumbled to herself.

“Look, it’s gonna take hours to explain everythin.” Eridan got up, “But right now we gotta get outta here. The house is toast, but I stopped by to grab some stuff.” He shrugged off his bag and reached inside. “Here.” He pulled out her knitting bag and handed it over to her. “I thought about grabbin your dead cat, but his mausoleum was broken and I couldn’t tell if that was somethin good to bring, even for sentimental purposes.”

“A dead cat would have been pretty cool for the trip,” Dave chimed in, making Eridan turn and scowl at him.

“You ain’t comin. I’m droppin you off with your brother.”

“Whoa, whoa!” Dave’s hands jerked up in a stop gesture. “Hell no. I’m coming.” Eridan sighed.

“Dave, this ain’t your business.”

“It is now.” Dave began to speak rapidly like he did when he really wanted to convince someone before they could shut him up, “They’ve already seen me with her. If you guys disappear they’ll track me down to see what I know, and you said I did good grabbing the gun and stuff. If Rose is in danger I want to be there. I know how to swordfight and stuff; my bro taught me. I can be useful and I won’t drag you down, promise.” Eridan’s scowl deepened, then his eyes flickered to Rose for guidance. She nodded quickly, and he sighed again, shoulders sagging in resignation.

“Fine. Both of your pack with what we have here. Dave, you’re about Rose’s size so I guess you can share clothes.”

“Cool, cool.” Dave flashed him a thumbs up. “Thanks, and sorry about the gun by the way.” He turned to Rose. “Uh, do you have anything that’s not like, goth queen?” She smirked.

“I believe Eridan has some pants in my size stored around here, but I never wear them.”

“You two figure it out.” Eridan called over his shoulder as he headed for a doorway. “Be ready in ten minutes.”

Rose quickly led him to her room, where they found two bags and began stuffing clothes in. Rose found a slim journal and slid it in as well, figuring she would certainly want to write of what had happened at a later time.

“Godddamn, Lalonde.” Dave tossed a dress over his head. “It’s like you never expected you would need to share your clothes with your best friend who doesn’t like skirts and skulls.”

“Here are some pants.” She held out a pair to him. “They’re capris, though.” He wrinkled his nose but accepted them. “Are you going to call your brother?”

“I’ll text him.” He answered and shouldered his bag. “Later.”

The returned to the central room to find Eridan standing there with several bags. He had changed clothes, and now wore a dark violet cloak around his shoulders.

“Put these on.” He grunted and tossed them two more cloaks, purple for Rose, dark red for Dave. “Follow me.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Awkward parental Eridan is great, and Dave you'd look fine in a skirt don't worry.


	2. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a change of scenery is demanded, some things are explained, and some new faces are met.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you were wondering, the troll that tried to grab Rose wasn't Equius. If anyone, I was kinda of going for a Darkleer vibe but also just some nameless troll.  
> He's dead Eridan killed him.

“So,” Dave smacked at his cloak, making it flare around him, “any reason we’re wearing these things? Aside from looking like dumbasses anyways.”

“They’re special,” Eridan grunted, “They provide magical protection. You don’t wanna go turnin to dust in case we run into another magician, do ya?” He was leading them deeper into the forest, away from town. He increased his pace now, hopping over the tree roots and rocks. “Come on, we gotta hurry. I’m hopin they don’t know about this place but they knew about home so I wouldn’t bet on it.”

They arrived at a small spring, bubbling from a crack in a boulder to pool into a tiny pond. Eridan knelt down, studying the surface with a scowl. He closed his eyes and clasped his hands together. Pale yellow light began to glow under his fingers, then seeped through to drip into the water. Suddenly his eyes snapped open and he spun around, hurling a ball of white fire into the trees. He was on his feet before it hit the target, throwing up a blinding flash and knocking two trees over.

“We’ve got company!” He shouted and spread his arms out, white light sparking at his fingers. Rose could see shadows darting around behind the trees.

“There’s five of them,” She shouted and stepped back. She didn’t know how she knew, she certainly couldn’t have gotten an accurate number from the few glimpses in the foliage, but before she could ponder it a column of fire burst from the trees to hurtle toward her.

Dave tackled her to the ground and threw his cloak up over them both. The fire crashed into it, curling and licking around the fabric. Rose felt the heat brush against her face, but the flames failed to devour the cloth. After a few seconds they burned out and Dave lowered the cloak. They saw Eridan shooting bolts of white fire into the trees, some hitting unseen marks, some countering other blasts of fire or light.

“ROSE! DAVE!” He shouted over his shoulder. “GET OVER TO THE POND!” They hurried to obey. Several more bursts of magic chased them but were intercepted by Eridan’s magic. Eridan slowly backed toward the pond as well, eyes darting around as he went. When he was right in front of Rose and Dave, he whirled around, slinging an arm around their shoulders and throwing all three of them into the pond.

Rose felt the water hit her face right before she fell onto a cold stone floor. She sputtered and pushed herself up, sweeping her wet bangs out of her eyes. She saw Dave coughing on the ground beside her, and Eridan pushing himself to his feet on her other side. The forest was gone. They were inside a large circular room of stone, with a high ceiling and single doorway. Voices registered to her. Unfamiliar, upset voices.

“Who just used the portal?! No one is scheduled to be arriving! What…”

Three humans rushed in through the doorway. The first of them, a young woman with dark braided hair and a deep magenta dress, gaped at the group.

“A Seadweller?!” They all scrambled back, and one of them gripped the sword fastened to his belt. “How-! Oh my God, he’s got two children with him!”

“Oh, calm the fuck down.” Eridan grumbled and raised both his hands. “I come in fuckin peace.” Rose wasn’t sure how calming the gesture was, considering she had just seen him shooting white fire from his hands a few seconds earlier. Likewise, the humans didn’t seem comforted.

“Who are you?” The woman took a wary step forward, tensed to fight. “How did you know our location code?” He snorted.

“I knew it before you were fuckin **born**. Look, can I talk to someone in charge?” She straightened up in indignation.

“You can talk to **me**. I’m in charge of the portal you just came through.”

“I didn’t ask for whoever had the shift of watchin the rock,” He answered dryly, “And certainly not a level 3 Heart magician who looks like she’s never seen a Seadweller in the couple decades a her life.

“Excuse me.” Rose stepped forward. Eridan had never been one for polite confrontation, and this particular bout was going bad fast. “Forgive my guardian. We just had a rather perilous journey here. Er, could someone explain where here is anyways?” Eridan opened his mouth to answer.

“We’re-” He winced as a shriek cut him off.

“Is that Roxanne Lalonde’s daughter!?” Rose blinked.

“Um.”

“Hang on.” The man who had went for his sword stepped forward. He had taken his hand off his weapon, but still watched Eridan with tense suspicion. After a few seconds he tore his gaze away to scrutinize Rose.

“Your eyes,” He declared, “Fair hair and pale skin, and a strong magical potential. Are you the daughter of Roxanne Lalonde?” Rose pursed her lips, then nodded.

“I am.”

“Then…” The woman turned to face Eridan again. “A Seadweller with Ms Lalonde’s child. You…” She took a sharp breath in, “You, must be…”

“Eridan Ampora,” He answered, then added in a tone heavy with sarcasm, “Pleased to meet your acquaintance.” The woman’s eyes narrowed and she turned to stare at Rose again.

“…Well,” Rose clasped her hands together and gave a little curtsy. “Nice to meet you. My name is Rose Lalonde.” She turned to wave a hand at Dave, who had been doing his best to stand behind her and Eridan. “This is my friend Dave, and you seem to know my godfather-”

“Godfather?!” The woman cut in to glare at Eridan with a mixture of horror and shock. “You… **You** raised her?!”

“Oh shut up.” He waved off her anger and rolled his eyes. “She’s fuckin fine. You don’t need to glare daggers at me.” The woman continued to glare at him anyways, then closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“Nice to meet you all.” She jerked into a quick bow. “I am Cora, level **four-** ” She shot Eridan another glower, “Magician of Heart. This is Theo, level 3 Magician of Space, and Jean,” She waved a hand at the last woman back by the doorway. “Level 3, Magician of Breath.”

“Er,” Rose repeated her curtsy. “Nice to meet you all. Now where-”

“Excuse us.” Cora strode forward and shoved a hand out at Rose, ignoring Eridan’s low growl of warning. “Could we ask you some questions?”

“I…” Rose cocked an eyebrow but took the hand. “I suppose-” She stumbled forward as she was yanked forward toward the door. “-so?”

“You too, er,” Cora flapped a hand at Dave. “Dave, was it? Please follow.” Dave was already walking after them. Eridan too, but Jean stopped him at the door.

“Now hang on?!” Eridan gripped her shoulder, intent on shoving her aside. “You can’t-”

“We’ll simply be in the next room,” Cora answered coldly, “Jean and Theo will ask you your share of questions as well.” She dragged the two kids away from the protesting Seadweller and into another room. It looked like some kind of office, with a desk and several bookshelves.

“Ok,” Cora yanked up two chairs and sat them both down, then faced Rose and took a deep breath. “Is it true that, Mr. Ampora raised you since the death of your mother?”

“Yes,” Rose answered. Eridan hadn’t denied it, so she didn’t see any reason too. “Since I was about ten.”

“Yes, yes.” Cora nodded quickly. “Now, how would you describe that?” Rose tilted her head back to look at her.

“Pardon?”

“Did he yell a lot? Was he angry often? Did he break things?” Cora’s eyes narrowed and she took up Rose’s wrists suddenly to examine them. “These bruises, where did you get them?” Rose snatched her hands away.

“I received them with a strange man accosted us and tried to make me come with him. One arm from when he grabbed me, and the other was Dave trying to pull me away. Excuse me, could you slow down and explain what’s going on?”

“They’re asking if he abused you.” Rose glanced over at Dave as he spoke up. He was leaning back in his chair, studying the wall in front of him with his typical calm expression, arms crossed. Cora turned her focus on him but he shook his head, raising both his hands. “Don’t look at me. I didn’t live with him.”

“I see.” She looked back at Rose. “I suppose that is what I was getting to, but I would rather ask you on certain aspects than make you try and figure for yourself whether-”

“No,” Rose interrupted her. She had studied at least enough psychology to know she wasn’t anywhere near an abusive life. Her eyes narrowed. “Why do you ask?” Cora bit her lip, then sighed and stepped back.

“Trolls,” She began, “they don’t raise their young. They have no paternal instinct, and are known to be a rather violent and warlike race. Seadwellers are the most violent of them. And Ampora-”

“I see,” Rose cut in, then stood up, “Well, I’d like to rejoin him now.” Cora looked as if she might argue, but in the end, she just sighed and nodded.

She led them back to the previous room, where Eridan’s loud voice reached them far before they entered.

“-right to be with her. I don’t care if you fuckers disagree, I’m her fuckin guardian and you can’t just-oh.” He fell silent and visibly relaxed as the two of them appeared in the doorway. “There you are.”

“Here we are.” Rose stepped toward him, glancing around at the stone walls. “So, where is here, specifically?”

“Right.” Eridan swept an arm around the room with just a little bit of grandeur. “Welcome to Skaia. It was your mom’s wish that I take you here to learn your powers.”

“We’re a center for Aspect-related magics,” Cora cut in, earning yet another glare from Eridan. “You’ll have everything you need here to learn. We have many powerful magicians to teach you, and even another Seer to guide you!” Rose’s eyebrows drew together.

“Another Seer?”

“But right now you must be exhausted.” Cora began to hurry them down the hall. “Come, we’ll find you some rooms immediately.”

She led them through several corridors until they came to a wing marked “dormitories.” She quickly filed some paperwork and produced two keys, then led them down the hallway.

“Here we are.” She found a door in unlocked it, opening it to show them in. It was a small room with a bed and a desk, an empty set of shelves, and a closet tucked off to the side. “It’s not much, but I’m sure we can find some things to spruce it up!” Cora handed the key to Rose. “As for your…” She shot Dave a quizzical look. “Friend? I’m sorry. I’m still not sure why…are you magically-inclined as well?”

“Nah.” Dave dug his hands into his pockets. “I’m just along for the ride. Got caught up in this bullshit and stuff.” Her eyebrows knit together, but she nodded.

“I…see. Well you can take the next room over. As for…” She turned around to face Eridan in the doorway, and her mouth turned down. “Hiveblocks with recuperacoons are in another wing. I’ll show you-”

“It’s fine,” Eridan grunted and held his hand up to cut her off, “I’ll take a human one, next to Rose.” Cora’s eyes narrowed.

“Very well, but we’ll have to get another key.” She handed the other key to Dave. “You two can get settled in. We’ll be right back.”

They both left, closing the door behind them. Rose dropped her bag beside the bed and pulled her cloak off. Dave followed suit, then leaned up against the wall.

“So,” He crossed his arms, “They don’t seem to like Ampora much, huh?”

“It would appear not.” Rose sat down on the bed. “I suspect racial bigotry.” Dave scanned around the room.

“You think we’re safe here?”

“Eridan would not bring us here otherwise. He wouldn’t even let me attend sleepaway camps.”

“Right. I remember you complaining about that.”

“He was concerned I would run into danger and he wouldn’t be there.” She clasped her hands together. “At the time, I found it irritatingly paranoid.”

“Ha, yeah.”

There was a knock at the door, then it opened to reveal Eridan with an armful of paper bags.

“Hey, they gave us some soap and shampoo and shit. You guys wanna wash up?”

Rose got up with a nod. “That sounds heavenly.” After all the running, the fight in the forest, and falling into a pond, she could use a shower.

They grabbed some towels from their bags and Eridan led the way to the end of the hall where the bathrooms were.

“Alright.” Eridan leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms. “You guys go ahead. I’ll wait out here.” Rose paused to look at him.

“Are you sure?” He snorted and waved her off.

“Yeah, I’m sure, I think I can guard a bathroom. Go on.” She shrugged and disappeared through the door. Dave lingered in the hall, long enough that Eridan cocked an eyebrow at him.

“I think that’s the door you’re lookin for.” He pointed to a door across the hall. Dave nodded.

“Yeah uh…” He shrugged and glanced down the hall. “So, sorry about like, pointing a gun at you and stuff.”

“Oh.” Eridan just shrugged. “Forget it. I can understand why you’d be freakin out over all this.”

“If it’s worth anything,” Dave flashed him a thumbs-up. “I think you’re a pretty cool godfather or whatever.” Eridan quirked an eyebrow at him. “Just saying.”

“Well,” Eridan shrugged again with movements that betrayed the discomfort of someone not sure how to react, “Thanks…then. Now go get cleaned up.” He made a shooing gesture. Dave smirked and headed off to shower.

 

000

 

Rose took her time in the shower, scrubbing all the dirt and grime off under the stream. She had always been amazed at the therapeutic powers of hot water pounding down on the body.

Where would things go from here? Her house destroyed, strange persons seeking her out, deadly attacks and an unbelievable revelation. Letting all the thoughts in at once made her somewhat dizzy, so she focused instead on the feeling of the water against her shoulders and her fingers digging into her scalp. Eridan was with her, and he seemed to know what he was doing, so that was a relief. Not to mention Dave had ended up here as well. For the moment, at least, she felt she could handle the situation.

That was not to say she was not deathly curious as to what would be happening next, so when she was done in the shower she hurried into a fresh change of clothes and went to rejoin the others.

“Damn Lalonde.” Dave was slumped against the wall, hair wet from his own washing. “We thought you had drowned in there.”

“Oh hush.” Rose straightened her headband and rolled her eyes at him.

“I’m serious. Eridan was ready to check on you.” Eridan smacked him on the arm.

“Hush. I woulda just knocked.” Rose smirked.

“How gentlemanly of y-”

“AMPORA!!” An enraged howl bounced toward them against the walls. Dave and Rose jumped and looked around, while Eridan glanced down the hall. Three trolls were coming toward them. The one in front was storming ahead of the other two, brown cloak swishing around him. He bore the gray skin and black hair of a troll, but Rose was confused by his lack of orange horns. As he approached, however, she spotted them just barely peeking out from his messy curls, easily overlooked.

The troll marched right up to Eridan, which made their difference in height quite apparent. Eridan looked down at the him, appearing unconcerned over the glower he was receiving.

“Hey Kar.”

“DON’T YOU ‘HEY KAR’ ME!!” The other troll jabbed his finger into Eridan’s stomach, making him grunt and swat the hand away. “WHAT THE FUCK!? YOU DISAPPEAR FOR THREE GODDAMN SWEEPS, THEN POP UP OUT OF THE PORTAL LIKE YOU HAD GONE OUT TO GET SOME CARTON OF PUTRID MUSCLEBEAST SECRETION?! WHERE HAVE YOU *BEEN*!? WHAT-” He cut off abruptly, then turned his head to squint down at the two humans hiding behind the Seadweller. “What-” He leaned over and got a good look at Rose, straightened up with a sharp inhale, then turned back to Eridan. “You fucking **didn’t**.” Eridan jerked his chin up.

“I did.”

“Jesus fuck, Eridan.”

The other two trolls caught up to them. The first was almost as tall as Eridan and dressed in a dark green dress and black shawl. Her horns curved up elegantly, one of them having a small barb like a fishhook. The second was shorter and wore a teal tunic with a red sash, along with a pair of bright red glasses. She held what appeared to be a cane commonly used by blind people, but decorated with a dragon’s head on the top. Her horns pointed outward in cones that looked sharp enough to stab someone.

“Hm…” The second one leaned forward and inhaled deeply, then her face split into a wide grin. “Eridan!? Is that Roxy’s kid??”

“So you were the one raising her.” The tall troll peered down at Rose. “Oh dear. Is she traumatized?”

“Well since so many people have asked,” Rose answered flatly, “Sometimes he wouldn’t let me have any sweets before bed. It was terribly hard to live with.” The troll blinked slowly, then straightened up.

“She seems fine, and has definitely gained some aspects of Eridan’s personality.”

“Fuck off, Kan.”

“Ok ok.” The male troll raised his hands, speaking loudly to get everyone’s attention. “Start over. Hi. I’m Karkat Vantas, Knight to the Seer Terezi Pyrope.”

“And **I’m** Terezi Pyrope.” The troll with the red glasses jabbed her thumb into her chest. “Seer of the Mind Aspect.”

“I am Kanaya Maryam.” The last troll offered a neat curtsy. “Level 5 Magician of Space.”

“Oh, hello.” Rose returned the curtsy. “I’m Rose, Rose Lalonde. This is Dave.” Dave raised his hand in a wave.

“Sup.”

“The fuck?” Karkat squinted at Dave “Eridan, why the fuck do you have two?”

“It’s complicated,” Eridan grumbled, “Dave is Rose’s friend. He insisted on comin along.” Terezi quirked an eyebrow.

“For how long?”

“I’m workin on it.”

“Pardon,” Rose chimed in an all eyes turned to her. “Ms, Pyrope was it? You said you were a Seer. What does that entail exactly?”

“Ah-ha!” Terezi her cane around her wrist. “A Seer is someone blessed with the power of magical sight! We’re quite rare, and valuable for our abilities. Because of that, we usually have a Knight to serve as extra protection.” She jabbed her elbow into Karkat’s shoulder, making him grunt and glare at her.

“I’m glaring at you.”

“I can’t see that!” She sang.

“That’s why I’m saying it! Ugh.” Karkat turned his gaze back to the humans. “The Pyropes and Vantases have a long connected history of Knights and Seers. Her ancestors served mine and vice-versa. You should get one too.” He shrugged and jerked his head at Eridan. “I guess Eridan could be yours. He doesn’t seem like the type though.”

“Whoever you choose,” Terezi flung her arm around Karkat’s shoulder and earned a grudging growl for it, “It should be someone you trust with your life! And who you’re bonded enough with to work together and overcome anything!”

“I…” Rose clasped her hands behind her back. “I see. Thank you.”

“Well then.” Kanaya took a step back toward the wing’s exit, waving that they follow. “Perhaps a tour of the area is in order?”

 

000

 

By the time Kanaya had finished showing them around, it was time for dinner. Rose’s stomach growled loudly and she recalled they hadn’t eaten lunch. With all the excitement, the thought of food hadn’t occurred to her, but as they were led to the mess hall and the smell of cooking reached her she was quickly reminded.

Kanaya pushed the doors open and the moment they walked through the crowded hall went silent. All eyes fell on them, and a few even dropped their utensils. Rose took a step back and ran into Eridan, who placed a tight hand on hers and Dave’s shoulders. She glanced up to see him glare around the room, the fins on the sides of his head pressing back and his lip rising in the barest snarl. Several people shuffled nervously in their seats and the eyes quickly turned away. Eridan relaxed, then nodded to an empty spot at the end of a table.

“That spot looks open.”

They hurried over, grabbing some food off a buffet-style table on the way. Rose could still feel the eyes on her, and caught several starting toward them before eying Eridan and backing away. Eridan was aggressively nonchalant about it, eating and refusing to look up at anyone.

Rose turned her attention back to the other tables. She guessed there to be about a hundred people present. It was mostly humans, but a few clusters of trolls as well. She couldn’t find anyone else with fins though.

She looked down at her plate. The table had been laden with plenty of familiar dishes, but had also contained several unrecognizable things which she had grabbed out of curiosity. She worked on the mashed potatoes and vegetables first. They were nicely buttered, and the texture of the potatoes was soft and smooth. At the very least, it appeared the cooks here were good.

She turned her attention to another piece of food on her plate, one that resembled some kind of purple dumpling. She cut into it with her fork and a pale yellow mush leaked out.

“That stuff doesn’t agree with humans.” She looked up at Eridan, who pointed with his fork at some kind of fried bread mush on the other side of her plate. “Won’t kill ya, but some humans ain’t got the constitution for it.”

“I see.” She nudged it away with the other end of her fork. “Anything else?”

“These are ok as far as I know.” He pointed at the dumplings, then at what looked like some round fruits. “Those things are just a special variety a grape.”

“Ah.” Her eyes lit up and she shot Eridan a smirk. “Should I assume that some foods do not agree with a troll’s constitution as well? Is that why, all those years, you never drank milk, on the excuse you were deathly lactose intolerant?” He blinked.

“What? No, I just fuckin hate milk. Oh, these-” His face broke into a faint smile as he pointed at some cookies with a pink gel set in the center. “Rox loved these.” His smile faded, then he turned quickly to make sure Dave hadn’t taken anything potentially harmful.

Rose sampled the dumplings. The shell had a lavender-like hint to it, and the inside appeared to be a savory cheese. She tried the cookie. It was soft, crushing easily when she bit into it. It tasted like a honeyed sugar cookie. The gel in the center had a tangy taste, like fruit jelly.

Halfway through the meal Rose was hit with a wave of exhaustion and lowered her fork to yawn. It didn’t go without notice, and once they were done Eridan herded both her and Dave back to their rooms.

“Here.” He dropped a key in both their hands. “To my room if there’s an emergency.” Dave let it sit in his hand as he looked up at Eridan.

“I get one too?”

“A course. As long as you’re with me, I’m responsible for you too. That’s how it works right? That’s my room.” He pointed to the other door next to Rose’s. “Anythin happens, scream. I’m a light sleeper.”

“Noted.” Rose pocketed the key and nodded. “Goodnight then.”

“Night.” He opened his own door and started through, then stopped suddenly to turn and point at Rose. “And no more tryin to summon demons. It’s still fake, but from here on you might accidently incorporate enough true stuff to blow the place up.” He closed the door before she could find a retort.

“Rude,” She muttered.

“Yeah.” Dave dug his hands into his pants. “No bedtime story?”

“Dave, we might as well be living in a bedtime story.”

“Touché.” He smacked her on the back. “Come on, I don’t know about you but I’m ready to drop dead.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so the adventure begins.
> 
> I know Cora seems like an asshole but she's not all bad. She just...hasn't met many Seadwellers that weren't terrible and terrifying assholes.
> 
> Well gee Dave how would YOU know when people are poking around looking for signs of abuse?
> 
> Karkat has a funny way of saying "I missed you, you bastard."
> 
> Dave: Hey dude sorry for pointing a gun are you and threatening to shoot you and accusing you of being a zombie or something.  
> Eridan: Meh.


	3. Crash Course

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which magic is explained, gifts are bestowed, and a Knight is chosen.

“Aspect-magic is divided into 12 subsections.” Kanaya explained as she gestured to a poster hanging on the wall. There were twelve symbols arranged in a circle. One was clearly a sun, another seemed to be a gear. Others were more abstract, like the teal splotch, or the intricate purple design. Rose nodded to show she followed. Dave was sitting beside her, looking to all the world like a bored teenager, but Rose could tell he was listening intently as well.

“Eridan said I was related to the Light Aspect,” Rose commented.

“Indeed.” Kanaya tapped the symbol that resembled a sun. “Light deals in in luck and knowledge. A very interesting Aspect.”

“I see.” Rose examined the other symbols. “Was my mother a Light Aspect as well?”

“No. She was Void.” Kanaya indicated another symbol across from Light. “It deals in the unknown, in lacking. It’s a fairly abstract subject, hard to grasp, but you mother had incredible mastery over it. She was in the top tiers of level 7 magicians.” She turned back to look at her. “Did she truly never say anything to you about it?”

“No.” Rose felt a slight twinge in her stomach and clasped her hands together. “She never did, aside from being enamored with what was apparently “very fake” wizard and magical culture.” Kanaya gave her an understanding look.

“I’m sure she was waiting for you to get a little older. She would have loved sharing this world with you.”

“I suppose.” Rose pushed the sick feeling in her gut away. “What about Eridan?”

“He’s a Hope magician.” Kanaya pointed to the corresponding symbol, a pair of white wings. “A very powerful Aspect, if utilized well. It tends to work well if you have an excess of imagination.” She offered a wry smirk. “Though Eridan seems to get by just fine with simply blowing things up. As I said, I am a Space magician, while Terezi is Mind and Karkat is Blood.”

“I recall.” Rose glanced up at the brightly colored horns on the troll’s head. “If I may ask, some of the humans here were quite…wary of Eridan. Are trolls not seen in a kind light?”

“Oh.” Kanaya grimaced and shook her head. “Well, many trolls serve the Condesce, who we have none too friendly relations with. While Skaia is one of the more mixed areas, humans aren’t used to us, especially not Seadwellers. Eridan, in return, doesn’t have much interest in our cause, rather, he is simply here for the sake of protecting you.” Rose frowned.

“You knew Eridan in the past, correct?”

“Yes,” Kanaya rested her fingers against her chin as she studied the poster, “he disappeared quite suddenly several sweeps, or years, ago. It is now apparent he did so to raise you.”

“What was it like, when he left?” Kanaya pursed her lips in thought.

“It was quieter,” She said finally. Rose cocked an eyebrow.

“Was it really?” Kanaya paused again, then shook her head.

“No, Karkat more than enough made up for it with his screaming about a good-for-nothing Seadweller who couldn’t bother to answer a phone.” Rose snorted, and Dave lowered his head to cough away his chuckle.

“I see.” Rose murmured, a small smile still playing on her lips.

“He had reason to be worried.” Kanaya moved to the bookshelf, scanning over the titles. “It was right after the news of Roxy’s death reached us that we tried to contact him and received no answer. We were concerned he might,” She paused, “…do something stupid.” She selected a book and returned to stand in front of them. “Now, let’s begin with a brief summarization of the Aspects.”

Rose took careful notes throughout the lecture, finding the material much more interesting than typical schooling. At around noon, Eridan arrived and announced he was taking them off to lunch.

“So how was Kan?” Eridan poked her in the shoulder. “Did she blow your brain up?”

“Hardly. She is quite the nice teacher.” Rose poked him back in return, and noted he was holding a brown paper back in his other hand, the kind that might hold groceries. “Who is the Condesce?” Eridan shot her a sharp look.

“God, what is she tellin you?”

“That mother was a powerful magician and that you never answer your phone.” She answered without missing a beat. He rolled his eyes and continued down the hallway.

“The Condesce, or her Imperious Condescension, is the empress a Alternia, the kingdom where most trolls reside.”

“Sounds like a powerful position,” Rose remarked, but Eridan waved her off.

“Don’t worry about it. She’d probably love gettin ahold of a new Seer, I mean-” He paused, then continued on at a faster pace, “-she probably was the one who sent that guy back home but-” Rose blinked.

“Come again?”

“ **but** …” He pressed on hurriedly, “her claws ain’t gettin anywhere near you. Anyways-” Obviously eager to change the subject, he dug into the paper bag he was holding and produced a small book. Rose recognized the symbol of Light decorating the cover. “Here.” He held it out to her. “Been holding onto it for a while. Glad to finally be handin you a magic book that ain’t fake.” Rose accepted it with a smile and a nod.

“I’ll devour it voraciously.” He gave a wry smirk.

“Good to hear. Also these:” With a bit of a flourish, he drew out a slender box and handed it to her as well. She accepted it and lifted the lid. Inside, a pair of what appeared to be metal knitting needles gleamed up at her. Delicate designs coated the slim surface, reminiscent of the thorny stems of roses. She smiled faintly.

“Why thank you. I can already imagine the masses of yarn I will direct with these.”

“They ain’t knittin needles!” He exclaimed, drawing a confused look. “They’re, look,” He picked one up, then spun it around. White light sprung from the tip and danced around with the movements. “They’re wands. Magic wands.” He set it back into the book. “Specially made. I’ve been holdin onto them for a while too.”

“Ah,” She peered down at the needles with newfound intertest. “In that case, I extend my gratitude to new degrees.” Eridan sighed and ruffled her hair.

“Don’t got makin any scarves with them.” He stopped and turned back to Dave, who had been following behind. “Got somethin for you too. Here.” Eridan tossed the bag at him, and Dave jerked to a stop as his hands flashed up to catch it.

“Clothes,” Eridan supplied as Dave peeked into the bag. “since I don’t think you’re into Rose’s fashion.”

“Holy shit,” Dave dug into the contents. “thanks man.” Dave pulled one of the shirts out. “…Uh.”

“It’s got an apple on it.” Eridan gestured to the garment. “You like apples, right?” Rose snorted, but Dave lowered the shirt back in as he stared at Eridan with a deadpan expression.

“I’m gonna wear that thing for a week straight. Not even gonna wash it.” Eridan’s eyebrows rose in bafflement, then drew together in hard thought.

“…This’s an irony thing, right?”

“Yeah.”

They arrived at the mess hall, and while the stares were less than the first time, Rose could still sense the attention on them, prickling at the back of her neck as they sat down.

“Mr. Ampora.” A call across the hall made them look up. A human was standing by the exit, hands clasped together. “A word, if you wouldn’t mind.”

“What, now??” He grumbled under his breath as he got up. He shot Rose and Dave a grim look. “I’ll be right back.” He turned and stalked off to the human, and they both disappeared out of the mess hall.

As soon as the doors shut there was a great rustling around the room, and Rose and Dave found themselves swarmed with people surrounding the table and bombarding them with questions.

“Are you really Roxanne Lalonde’s daughter?”

“Why do you have a Seadweller with you?”

“Is the Seadweller really Eridan Ampora?”

“Did you actually live with him? Wasn’t that weird?”

“Can you do anything cool with your powers? Did your mom tell you about them?”

“Excuse me! Miss Lalonde, you need a knight right? I’m the best in my class-”

“Hey you!” One question was directed at Dave. “Who are you? Why did you come with her and the Seadweller?”

Rose put her fork down with a loud clang. “Excuse me,” She announced and got up, then marched for the door, splitting the crowds as she passed. She heard footsteps behind her and chanced a glance back, relieved to find it was just Dave catching up behind her.

“Were you going to fucking leave me there?” Dave muttered as the doors closed behind them.

“Of course not. I knew you were coming.” Rose glanced down the hallway. “Quickly, let’s escape before we’re mobbed again.”

They managed to find a doorway outside, and stepped out into the sunlight and a bustling town. Humans, trolls, and some kind of black or white humanoids wandered down the street. The outfits of the crowds ranged from t-shirts and jeans, to cloaks and tunics, to styles Rose had never seen before.

“Whoa.” Dave looked up at the large building they had exited. “Where are we, anyways?”

“You’re in Skaia!” They jumped and whirled around at the loud voice to find Terezi grinning at them. “That’s the name of the city. And at its heart is the university, which teaches magic as well as offers aid to those in need.”

“Who are those guys?” Dave nodded to one of the non-human non-trolls.

“Carpacians,” Karkat grunted, coming up behind Terezi. “Try not to stare like a dumbass.”

Rose began to walk down the sidewalk, eyes wandering over the surroundings.

“Are we even still on earth?”

“Nope!” Terezi answered as she sauntered after her, cane bobbing along the ground in front of her. “We’re in the Incipisphere! Another universe, a lot more interesting than your boring place.”

“Also more dangerous,” Karkat grumbled, “So watch yourself.”

They wandered down the street, passing the crowds and buildings with subtle curious glances. Karkat and Terezi followed behind them. It was rather apparent they weren’t going to leave them alone unattended.

“Are you always by Ms. Pyrope’s side, Sir Vantas?” Rose asked. Karkat snorted and rolled his eyes.

“I am **not** having Eridan’s adopted spawn or whatever calling me that. Karkat’s fucking fine. And no, I don’t **always** have to be around her. I think I’d carve my think pan out if that was the case.” Terezi jabbed him in the ribs for the comment.

“You love being around me,” She chirped, “I make your life interesting.”

“Shut up.”

“In truth,” Terezi continued in a smug tone, ignoring Karkat’s fuming, “I hardly need the protection. Having a Knight is more a tradition, and it does help to have a little extra muscle from time to time.”

“Extra muscle nothing!” Karkat shot back, “I keep you from diving headfirst into some metaphorical grubloaf-churner of danger! You would have gotten yourself killed ages ago without me!”

“Excuse me? Are you sure about that?” Terezi’s face screwed up in mock thoughtfulness, “ **Who’s** the one with the power to see alternate paths? Was it Mr. Grumpy nubs?” Karkat make some sort of hissing screech, which Terezi answered by cackling and smacking her cane against his legs.

“You should probably get a Knight, though,” Terezi told Rose, “You’re pretty defenseless, compared to me.” Terezi shrugged and spun her can around. “Though, you do have Eridan, who reeks of protectiveness. He can probably cover for you until you make the decision. Still, like Karkat said, this is a dangerous place.”

“I…” Rose glanced at the weapons some of the passersbys had on their person. “I see.”

They came to a small square with a fountain, shaped in the form of a woman holding a scepter. Rose leaned over to peer down through the water. Dave’s reflection appeared beside hers.

“This place is pretty weird.”

“I suppose.” She straightened and watched as a young girl nearby waved her arms in wide motions, causing a glob of water to rise up out of the fountain and swirl around her.

“HEY!” Karkat stomped over, “YOU AREN’T ALLOWED TO USE THE FOUNTAINS TO PLAY WITH YOUR WATER MANIPULATION!! PRACTICE AT HOME FOR FUCK’S SAKE!” The girl dropped the water and went running away from the irate troll.

“She wasn’t doing any harm.” Rose commented. Terezi smacked her cane down.

“If everyone was allowed to mess around with the water, the fountain would be dry. Therefore, it’s against public law to do so,” She declared, but Rose wasn’t listening anymore. She had sat down on the fountain, feeling suddenly queasy and anxious. Terezi shot her a curious sniff, then her smile vanished and she jerked her head up toward the sky. “Uh oh.”

“What?” Karkat grabbed the sickle hanging at his belt and looked around. “What is it?”

Screams pierced the air as blue fire flared up by an entrance to the square, rushing around the perimeter to surround them. Rose scrambled to her feet and Dave ran over to her while Karkat swore and yanked out his weapon.

“You two!” He pointed at Rose and Dave. “Stay behind us.” Cloaked figures were appearing around the square, running forward to close in on them.

“Don’t touch the fire.” Terezi broke her cane apart, revealing a blade inside, then spun the linked parts around with an expert flair.

“Yeah, I don’t think we need to be told not to touch the spooky-as-shit fire,” Dave muttered. “That’s like, rule number one of-”

“Get down!” Rose grabbed Dave and threw them both to the ground right before the fountain blew apart. Rose flung her arms up over her head, wincing as chunks of marble bounced off her. She pushed herself up, mind buzzing with feelings and thoughts.

_“Left.”_ She rolled aside in time to avoid a tendril of black reaching for her. She glanced back. Dave was sitting up, shaking bits of rubble from his hair. He staggered up as one the cloaked figures rushed him with a sword. He dropped under their swing, flipped onto his hands, then kicked upwards to slam his heel into their elbow. They dropped the weapon and Dave hopped back onto his feet to sock them in the nose.

Rose felt a sharp humming in the back of her mind, and spun aside just in time to miss a figure swinging a glaive down at her. They hurled a mass of fire at her and she ducked, following her first instincts of rolling and dodging. Her foot caught on a fallen piece of debris, and she managed to twist around in time to fall on her shoulder instead of her face, but as she rolled over she was faced with the cloaked attacker above her, glaive poised to pierce through her stomach.

For a second everything seemed to go slow. Rose could see Dave still back by the fountain, scooping up the fallen sword as he ran toward her, Karkat reaching a hand out for her and opening his mouth to yell something, the enemy’s shoulders tensing as they prepared to strike.

Her mind was blank, no jolt of inspiration on her next move, and at the last moment she closed her eyes as the blade was jabbed down.

She heard the sickening sound of metal ripping through flesh and bone. For a second she thought she had died immediately when no pain came to her, but as the sound of Karkat shouting registered to her, she cracked her eyes open again. Dave was standing over her, the sword in his hands plunged straight through the attacker. With a jerk of his arms he sent them sliding off his weapon to crumple to the ground. His blade was coated a dark cobalt, and liquid of a similar color pooled around the body.

White fire suddenly rushed around the plaza, consuming the black flames before disappearing itself. The fire was followed by several torrents of white light shooting through the air and striking down the rest of the cloaked figures.

“WHAT IN FUCKIN HELL!?” Rose sat up to see Eridan striding into the plaza, looking beyond pissed and terrified. “I leave you alone for **two fuckin seconds** and come back to find-”

“HOLD THAT THOUGHT, AMPORA.” Karkat shoved a hand out to cut him off, earning an indignant snarl. “MORE IMPORTANTLY, WHAT THE *FUCK*!?” He stomped over to Rose and Dave. “WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?!”

“You would know as well as us.” Rose’s voice trembled, but she managed to answer calmly enough. Dave was still standing stiffly in front of her, sword dripping as he stared down at the body. “It seems someone was trying to kill us.”

“NOT THAT,” Karkat jabbed a finger at Dave, “YOU. HOW DID YOU DO THAT?” Dave finally moved to slowly turn his head and face him.

“…What?” His face was impassive as ever, but Rose saw his hands shaking a little, flecks of blue on his fingers.

“I SAW YOU WERE BY THE FOUNTAIN,” Karkat threw his arm at the remains of the fountain, still screaming as if they weren’t two feet away from him. “THEN YOU WERE RIGHT IN FRONT OF HER! I THOUGHT YOU WERE A NORMAL HUMAN!”

“…Dude.” Dave shook his head, words coming out with small pauses between them. “That wasn’t…that was just…that was just a flashstep, man…chill.”

“Dave.” Rose got to her feet, mindful of her trembling legs. “That wasn’t, he’s right. That wasn’t normal. How did you do that?”

“It was just a flashstep.” Dave repeated. Only Rose could tell his voice was a little higher than normal. The sword was still clutched tight in his hands. “It’s, some martial arts bullshit or something. I, I’ve been able to do that for ages.”

“BULLSHIT,” Karkat growled, “I KNOW TEMPORAL MANIPULATION WHEN I SEE IT. YOU’RE…” Karkat’s eyes narrowed, then he took a sharp breath in. “You-” They were interrupted by Terezi’s loud laughter as she sauntered over and slapped Dave on the back.

“Congratulations! You’ll make a great Knight!”

 

000

 

Eridan chewed them out about safety for a total of 22 minutes, 34 seconds. Rose timed it on her phone. Most of it was long tirades of complicated words and swearing that wasn’t even directed at them, probably because deep down Eridan knew they weren’t to blame for the attack. He was mostly upset he had left them alone to come so close to harm’s way.

“God, just…God.” His shoulders slumped and he shook his head, and Rose sensed the lecture was coming to an end. “I just, fuck, that scared the shit outta me. Are you sure you’re ok?”

“I’m fine, just a few bruises. Dave?” Rose turned to her friend, who looked up after a few seconds.

“Huh?”

“Oh fuck.” Eridan reached up to run a hand over his head. “You gotta concussion?”

“Dude, I’m fine.” Dave ducked outta the touch. “The mother-henning is cool I guess but it’s not like you’re actually my guardian. You don’t have to go crazy on this stuff.”

“Don’t give me that crap,” Eridan growled. “I’m your guardian since you insisted on gettin involved in all this claptrap and nonsense.” He quirked an eyebrow. “Though apparently you’ve already had some experience on that. I guess I should call your brother about this crap.” At the last sentence Dave just barely tensed up, another movement subtle enough that only Rose was accustomed enough to notice it.

“Uh-” Dave started.

“So Eridan,” Rose chimed in, “What did they want to talk to you about?” Eridan scowled and straightened up.

“Nothin that could have **waited**. They wanted me to join in on missions every now and then. Since I’m here, I might as well make myself useful.” He grimaced and rubbed his neck. “Not teamwork. Just search and destroy stuff, the stuff I’m good at. Just go in, kill somethin, bring back its head. Ya know.”

“Did you agree?” Rose asked. He nodded.

“Yeah, but on one condition.” He pointed two fingers at them both. “You two are to remain inside while I’m away. No goin out unless I’m with ya, even if Kar and Ter are there.” Rose frowned.

“That’s hardly fair.”

“Hush. You’d lock yourself in the library anyways. And I’ll be here most a the time.” He reached over and ruffled both their heads. “Not go get cleaned up. You nearly died and I’m pretty sure that can constitute as a rough day, at least in your standards.”

“And what are **your** standards of a rough day?” Rose asked as they were herded off down the hall. Eridan hesitated for a beat, then answered.

“I’ll tell you when you’re older.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eridan: I need clothin for a smallish, skinny, human male 16-year-old.  
> Clerk: Uh, certainly sir. We have some nice t-shirts with popular bands. Do you know what he’s a fan of?  
> Eridan: He likes apples.  
> Clerk: …  
> Eridan: Do you have any with apples?
> 
> Eridan has basically accepted that he now has two children. This is how things are now.
> 
> Terezi: Choosing a Knight is a very important decision so I'm gonna make it for you.


	4. Water into Wine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which lessons continue, a parlor trick is done, and Rose is too curious for her own good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Terezi is honestly a terrifying teacher.
> 
> Sorry the chapter's a little on the short side this week. ;-;   
> Check out LunethWrites on tumblr for pretty pictures or if you wanna ask questions!

After the incident, the lesson plan was changed so that both Rose and Dave received general instruction on magic and history from Kanaya in the morning, then after lunch they split up with Terezi teaching Rose, and Karkat teaching Dave. Such is how Rose found herself sitting alone with the Seer of Mind, one afternoon.

“Alright pay attention!” Terezi smacked her cane several times against the blackboard, an action that Rose was fairly certain held little reason aside from the fact that she liked to do it. “Class is in session! Now! The power of a Seer is to sense information that is indiscernible to other people, and use it to guide them.” She grinned down at the single girl sitting in the chair in front of her. “Our Seer powers are tied to our Aspects. I, being the Seer of Mind, can see- metaphorically, that is- the consequences of actions, as well as the thoughts of others. You!” She jabbed the cane at Rose, making her jump a little. “-can see key information, and fortuitous outcomes! A very useful skill.”

“I see,” Rose answered, “and how would I go about using this power?”

“That is what you must learn!” Terezi declared. “Right now, you obviously have the raw power, but you’re picking it up as nothing but bad feelings and intuition. You need to learn to open your senses until it becomes as easy to you as smell, or sight, I guess. The first step:” She grinned and held up a long strip of red cloth. “Is we gotta block out those pesky other senses so you can get a feel for it.”

She moved over behind Rose and tied the cloth around her eyes. It was thick enough she couldn’t see through it at all. She felt Terezi’s cool hands settle on her shoulders before dropping away.

“Alright, what do you see?” Terezi asked. Rose took a deep breath and focused in on herself.

“I see,” She frowned, “nothing.” She heard Terezi huff at the answer.

“Try **harder**.” Rose rolled her eyes behind their lids, then thought back to when she had felt a sense of foreboding at the school, and the feeling in her mind guiding her during the attack on the plaza. The memory of the fight sent a cold chill up her spine. She clenched her jaw and focused on the sharp instinct that had come to her. She grasped at it and tried to pull it toward her. The feeling slipped away. She grasped again, then gently tugged in.

“I feel…” She muttered, and somehow knew Terezi had leaned in a little. “I feel, disappointment. Powerful, anguished disappointment.”

“Oh?” Terezi’s tone held a sharp interest. “Can you elaborate on it?”

“It’s…not dangerous.” Rose tilted her head to the side, brows furrowing in concentration. “It’s…oh.” She fell silent. Terezi tapped the chair with her cane to show her impatience.

“Yes?” Rose took the blindfold off to look at her.

“The cafeteria will be out of apple juice for dinner,” Rose informed her, “Dave will be devastated.”

Terezi blinked, then laughed in her usual high cackle.

“Interesting! We’ll just have to wait and see if your prediction comes to pass.” She hummed faintly and nodded to herself. “To be honest, with your lack of training, you should hardly be able to do anything! But you’ve already shown some incredible, **delicious** potential, so I have high hopes for you!”

“Well, thank you-”

“Oh don’t **thank** me.” Terezi set her burned red eyes right on Rose’s with a wide grin. “I’m not going to be holding back! You better pay attention!”

“O…” Rose folded her hands together, then cleared her throat. “Of course.”

 

000

 

The dining hall was already buzzing with activity by the time Rose walked in. She found Eridan easily in the crowd and headed over. Getting closer, she found Dave sitting across from him, or rather, slumped over with his face pressed into the table.

“Oh dear.” Rose set her tray down, already knowing the reason for his behavior. “What seems to be the problem?” Dave turned his head to look at her.

“They’re outta apple juice.” He nudged his glass, which was filled with a sadly clear liquid. “It’s the end. There’s nothing good left in this world.”

“I’m sure tomorrow-” Rose attempted to comfort him, but stopped as Eridan dissolved into a coughing fit. They looked up as the coughing continued, and Rose cocked an eyebrow. It would certainly be an embarrassing end for Eridan to be taken down by a chunk of food. Eridan went quiet, banged his fist on the table a few times, then swallowed and gasped.

“Wait,” He jabbed a finger at Dave with a look of disbelief. “ **That’s** what’s got you so goddamn gloomy?” Dave propped his chin up on the table to face him.

“You don’t understand, man. This is a serious travesty.”

“Oh for the love of-” Eridan rolled his eyes, then grabbed the glass of water. He swirled it around as they watched, and Rose took a sharp breath as the clear liquid slowly took on a golden tint. Eridan set it down in front of Dave, who whipped his shades up to examine the glass, tilting his head this way and that to see if it was a trick of the light. Finally, he raised his head to meet Eridan’s eyes.

“…What,” Dave asked in a flat tone. Eridan blinked rapidly, looking just a bit off-put. Rose wondered if this was the first time he had seen Dave’s eye-color. He recovered quickly though, shrugging and waving a hand toward the glass.

“Try it.”

Dave raised the cup to his nose and sniffed it, then glanced over at Eridan again.

“You realize if this is piss I will hate you forever.” Eridan wrinkled his nose in a look of disgust.

“Ugh, I have **class** , Dave.”

Dave took a careful sip, and his eyes went wide.

“Holy shit.” He stared down at the juice. “It’s sweet as Hell.”

“How did you do that?” Rose asked when it became apparent Dave wasn’t going to. Eridan tossed himself back in his chair and crossed his arms.

“Classical Hope trick,” He answered gruffly. Rose noticed he was making an effort to seem casual about it, not exactly in a show of false modesty, more like discomfort. “Turnin water into wine, that kinda stuff.” He waved a hand at the drink. “It’s all made a the same atoms. I just rearranged them, maybe added a little carbon here and there.”

“Don’t listen to him.” Karkat’s barking voice startled them as he sat down beside them, slamming his tray down. “He’s not rearranging the damn atoms. That’s just what he tells himself to get a good mental image.”

“Shut up, Kar. It works for me.”

“I think it’s very impressive,” Rose chimed in, if only to steer the conversation away from a fight.

“It’s…” Eridan grumbled and picked his fork up again. “It’s not, really.” He spun the fork in his hand and seemed to lose himself in his thoughts for a few moments. Rose was just turning her attention to her food when he spoke again.

“Ya know, your mom…” He started, “She could conjure stuff right outta thin air. She called it stealin stuff outta nonexistence.”

“Really?” Rose leaned in a little. “How did she do it?”

“Beats me.” He shrugged. “It was a Void thing. She-” He smiled faintly, “She loved to summon **pumpkins** outta all things. You remember every Halloween, she would show up with the most perfect pumpkins for carvin? She conjured them.” Rose pursed her lips in thought. A memory came to her. Her mother bursting through the door on a chilly fall with an absolutely giant pumpkin, and another one in the trunk of her car. Rose remembered drawing a squid pattern on hers, and the difficulty of attempting to carve her design. In the end, she had created a gaping hole that looked nothing like what she wanted. Her mother had chuckled and, somehow, another pumpkin had showed up for a second attempt. At eight years old, Rose hadn’t thought much about it.

“Oh,” She murmured.

“Anyways,” Eridan continued, “How’s your own studyin goin?”

“She’s doing GREAT!” Terezi announced as she arrived at the table, Kanaya following her. “I foresee amazing things from her!” Karkat glowered at her.

“What like, literally?”

“No, dummy. I didn’t actually look through the consequences.”

“Well a course she’s gonna do great,” Eridan scoffed.

“Free your tray.” Rose murmured to Dave as she quickly shuffled her plates off her own. Dave blinked at her just once before quickly following her lead. Eridan continued.

“-You gotta be blind not to see…” The sound of his last word hung and slowly meandered off as his eyes widened in horror. Karkat quickly turned away from the table and took a swing of his drink while Kanaya closed her eyes and sighed.

Terezi didn’t waste a second in flipping the contents of her tray right into his face. Rose and Dave jerked their trays up just in time to shield them from the spray of food. Eridan jerked backwards and his chair tipped over. He hit the ground with a loud thud, causing the rest of the dining hall to turn toward the commotion.

“TER!” Eridan sputtered and scrambled up, tearing the tray from his head. “Come **on**!” Terezi huffed and crossed her arms.

“You should know better, Ampora!”

“Oh shut up. You don’t actually care! You just like hurlin food at people like some uncivilized monkey!” He glared across the room and everyone staring immediately turned away.

Rose put her tray back down and looked up at him. “You have a bit of food on your ah,” She made a flicking motion near the top of her head, “Your horn.”

Eridan grumbled and grabbed a napkin off the table to wipe it off. “Didn’t feel like intercedin on my behalf, huh?”

“I’ll consider it next time.” Rose answered behind a sip of tea. Eridan grumbled something under his breath and stalked off to go shower.

“…You think that’s going to bite you later?” Karkat asked once he was out of earshot. Terezi snorted.

“Oh **please**. I can take Mr. Purple’s temper.” She got up, “I’m going to get some more food!”

“Wait, shit.” Dave looked back at his glass, “How am I going to get more apple juice now?”

“I suppose you will just have to ration yourself.” Rose answered, then frowned and pondered the glass. “Though, apparently if my mother were here she could conjure up more.” Kanaya and Karkat shuffled awkwardly in their seats, while Terezi just rolled her eyes.

“Uh,” Dave grabbed the glass of juice, “It’s, cool, actually.” Rose shook her head.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring it up like that. I was just thinking.”

“Oh?” Terezi leaned in and propped her chin on one hand. “Thinking about what, pray tell?”

“Nothing.” Rose picked her fork back up and continued with her meal. Terezi looked like she was about to say something else, but Kanaya jabbed her elbow into her ribs to quiet her, and dinner went on in silence.

 

000

 

Rose wandered through the library. The reference books for the study of Aspect magic were all neatly together in one area, sectioned off by Aspect. She ran her hand over the books of the Light section as she passed. It was quite the impressive collection. At least, that’s what Kanaya had told her. There were few areas that held so much knowledge of the Aspects.

After a bit of walking, a golden flag set into a bookshelf indicated the end of the Light section, and a green tag above it announced the beginning of the Life one. The spines of the books changed from mostly yellow and orange to beige and light green.

Rose kept walking, and eventually found herself on the Void section. She paused there, scanning over the shelves.

She tried to imagine her mother here. Had she spent her evenings in this spot, knees tucked up beside one of the shelves, thumbing through the books long into the night?

She found a slim book with a dark blue cover, and it reminded her of a dress her mother loved to wear on special occasions. It had been like a starless night sky, wrapped around to drape in loose folds around her form. Even in high heels, or slightly intoxicated, when she moved it had been like watching ink run across the still surface of water.

The more Rose thought about it, the more Void seemed to just **fit** her mother. The way she could appear out of nowhere, with nary a sound nor movement, those inscrutable smiles. As a child, Rose had attributed it to adulthood (and had decided Eridan to be an outlier), but looking back, not all of that could have been youthful imagination. Her mother had possessed an air of mystery as impenetrable as ink, so deep no light would ever pierce it.

She rested her hand on the top of the book, then slid it out of its place.

 

000

 

The mechanics looked to be a little different than Light magic, but the underlying principles were similar. Her wands were specially made to cast Light, but it had been easy enough to borrow a general practice wand from a classroom. She sat alone on the floor of her room, the book balanced in her lap as she studied the first spell. Supposedly, it would cause the lights to dim for a brief moment. Following the instructions, she flicked the wand and pushed her will outwards.

Nothing appeared to change. She frowned and tried again. Definitely no change. Frustration drew her eyebrows together and she flicked her wand again, forcefully.

She felt as if something had just been sucked out of her body. Her stomach dropped and a sudden chill appeared in her hands and feet. Dark spots danced around her vision as her head spun. She tried to blink them away, then shook her head. Instantly a wave of nausea answered her and she choked, quickly pushing the book out of potential harm’s way. She took several minutes of slow, deliberate breathing, feeling the warmth slowly return to her body.

A cold hand rested on her shoulder. “Rose.” A familiar voice, chiding, but surprisingly calm. Rose tilted her head back to look up at Eridan. His face was always so easy to read, and right now, it was oddly devoid of anger. Rather, his eyes were crinkled up and his lips were pressed tight just in the way they did when he was thinking of her mom.

“Are you mad?” She asked. He blinked, his face screwed up, then he sighed and shook his head.

“I ain’t that much of a hypocrite.” He flicked his hand at the book. “Put that away. You could mess yourself up tryin that.” Rose frowned, but closed the book.

“What’s this about being a hypocrite? Did you…” Her eyes narrowed as she squinted up at him, “Did you try another kind of Aspect magic at some point?”

“Course. You think I wanted a power like Hope?” He snapped his fingers and white fire sparked between his fingers. “It didn’t suit me. I wanted to give Rage a try. Seemed powerful, straightforward.” Rose tilted her head to the side, then got to her feet.

“What happened?”

“Nearly killed myself and like eight other people is what happened. Rox found me, gave me a good talkin to.” He shrugged. “I eventually figured out how to make Hope work on my terms, in my own style.” His eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. “But you’re doin fine with Light, aintcha? What’s got you lookin into Void. Case a ambitious curiosity?”

“I,” Rose stared down at the dark blue cover of the book, “I suppose.”

“Well, leave this one alone. Light’s a fine Aspect. Work at it, and you can shape it into whatever you want.” Eridan patted the book in her hands. “Put that back where you found it. It’s just a headache with a cover for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know Eridan spent the entire meal up until Rose showed up staring at Dave and internally panicking as he tried to figure out what the problem was. "Is he sick? Is he dyin??"
> 
> And then later he manages to halfway be the understanding guardian over Rose's adventures but it totally goes over his head why she'd be trying Void of all things. Poor guy. He's trying.


	5. The Heir of Breath and the Prince of Rage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a new friend is met, a dangerous enemy arrives, and a troubling secret is revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was originally gonna be two short chapters but you guys deserve one long chapter. Just means I'm gonna have to write faster. ;u;
> 
> I gotta say, after spending so much time writing the Feathers Series it's rather refreshing to write a story where Eridan is on good terms with the other trolls. It's nice to write them messing around or arguing about quadrants.

_It has been two weeks since our arrival._

Rose sat on her bed with her knees tucked up, writing in her journal.

 

_Lessons are going well. So far, I have successfully gleaned the menu for lunch on several occasions, been able to find objects and people hidden around the castle, and even predict the weather a few times. For some reason, I am quite good at knowing when it will rain. Aside from my Seer powers, I am learning how to manipulate light into solid forms. I hope to be able to shoot destructive white fire similar to Eridan’s skill._

 

She smiled faintly as she continued.

 

_Eridan of course, shows up occasionally, but never for long on account of his insistence on commenting on and correcting the lessons, which causes him to be shooed away post-haste. Yesterday Kanaya threatened him with a chainsaw._

_Eridan has also stayed true to his insistence that we remain inside while he is off on missions. I have taken the time to read up on the Incipisphere, which is a fascinating place._

Her smile fell into a faint frown.

 

_It would appear the empire of Alternia, ruled by her Imperious Condescension, is in a rather flimsy truce with the free city of Skaia at the moment. Skaia has many allies, so Alternia is hesitant to move in to attack, but there have been several skirmishes involving them and Skaian officials, that the Condesce claims no connection to. The popular opinion is that is a lie._

_Eridan took us into town a couple of days ago. The city is a beautiful place. Dave got to shake hands with the Mayor, a friendly black Carapacian, and they then proceeded to draw an elaborate mural on the sidewalk in front of the city hall. Dave declared free of all irony that he thoroughly enjoyed himself and that the Mayor was the best person he had ever met._

_I have not yet decided it this should be seen as a threat to my status as his best friend, and whether I shall have to make movements against the jovial little fellow._

_(I jest. Not even my dark black heart could wish harm upon the sweet man.)_

She checked the clock on the wall.

 

_I should now hurry off to the dining hall if I want to get lunch in any timely manner. More information to follow at a later time._

_~R.L._

She set down her book and hurried off to the dining hall. Eridan, Dave, and her teachers waved her over as she appeared.

“Was worried I’d have to drag you outta some book,” Eridan grunted as she sat down, “Sometimes you get so wrapped up you forget to eat.” She smiled sweetly.

“And miss such a cheerful gathering around mealtime?” Karkat rolled his eyes while Terezi chuckled. “By the way,” She rolled a strawberry across her plate as she spoke, “I was reading about troll society earlier. Do you know what a moirail is?” Karkat gagged on the ambitious mouthful he had taken of his food, then slammed his fists on the table.

“ARE YOU SERIOUS!?” Karkat shouted once he had recovered, glaring accusingly at Eridan. “YOU NEVER EVEN TOLD HER WHAT YOU AND ROXY WERE?!” Eridan raised both his hands, looking positively indignant.

“I was pretendin to be a human, Kar. How was I supposed to explain that?”

“How did you manage to pass as a human anyways?” Terezi asked, “Even disguised as one, you scream Seadweller.” He wrinkled his nose and huffed.

“I did fine, thank you.”

“So,” Rose tapped her spoon against her bowl. “An important term, then?” Eridan sighed and turned to face her.

“Ok, so a moirail is-”

“FUCK NO. HANG ON.” Karkat stuck his hand in front of Eridan’s face, making his eyes narrow. “This is a complicated issue. Let me explain. I’ve had to tell such a fuckton number of ignorant humans that I’m the godforsaken guru of it.”

“ **Excuse** me.” Eridan pushed his hand down. “She asked me, and I should be the one explainin-”

“You’ll fuck it up!” Karkat threw his hands into the air. “You’ll do such an amazing job of fucking it up, the goddamn angels of screwing up will descend to heaven, singing your praises before you shoot their heads off, and everyone will fall to their knees and weep sickly sweet tears over the sheer amazement of the metaphorical boner they are seeing right now. The reporters will stream in and you’ll be forever embellished in the fuck-up hall of fame.” Rose turned to quirk an eyebrow at Dave, who shrugged, shoving a dinner roll into his pocket. Eridan’s face screwed up. He took a long drink of tea, then sighed deeply.

“First a all, fuck you. I can explain it just fine. Second, I did not miss those asinine tirades a yours remotely.”

“How about a compromise?” Kanaya cut in before Karkat could retort. “Eridan will explain the pale quadrant, and Karkat may explain the other ones.”

“Fine,” Eridan answered immediately and faced Rose, ignoring Karkat fuming about the intricate connections and the need to explain them all as one piece. “Alright, listen up. Dave you too. So, trolls have a different concept a romance than humans. See-”

“You were in love with my mother,” Rose said, eyes wide. “I knew it.” He scowled.

“No! Well yes! But not in the way you’re thinkin.”

“Doing a great job so far, Ampora,” Karkat grumbled. Terezi shushed him.

“ **Anyways** ,” Eridan continued, See, trolls have four types a romance.” He held up four fingers for emphasis. “One a them is kinda like your human idea a romance. The love and the gettin married and that crap. That’s called matespritship. It’s the flushed quadrant, and it’s red romance. There’s a second kind of red romance called moirallegiance. It’s like, a platonic soulmate. It’s the person who supports you emotionally. Rox was my platonic soulmate. My moirail. We were in charge of each other’s emotional wellbeing.”

“Oh,” Rose answered. Karkat rolled his eyes.

“You’ve confused the fuck out of her.”

“No, I think I understand.” Rose tapped her chin. “That sounds very, interesting. I always felt you and her were something closer than good friends.”

“Ok ok NOW,” Karkat leaned in. “He got to stumble his way blind and on sopor through that. Let me explain to you the black quadrants. Wait,” he shuffled through his pockets, “I need some paper. Does anyone have some paper? And hang on, there’s a novel I should show you…”

 

000

 

“Dave?” Rose wandered down the halls. Karkat’s lecture had lasted so long that afternoon classes had been cancelled on account of information overload, at least according to Kanaya. Rose had stopped by her room to pick up a book and lost track of her friend. Eridan said he had seen him heading down the hallway she now patrolled, but so far there was no sign of him.

She spotted a door just slightly ajar, letting in a sliver of the evening light. She peeked out and found a small courtyard, surrounded by walls on all sides and holding just a tree and a bench. Dave was crouched up on the bench, crumpling his bread roll into pieces for the dozen crows or so surrounding him.

Rose pushed the door open a little more and it squeaked. Dave’s head jerked up and half the crows took flight.

“Oops.” Rose stepped in. “I appear to have startled your audience.”

“It’s cool.” Dave crumbled the rest of the bread and tossed it out to the birds, causing most of them to return.

“They’re awfully friendly with you.” Rose observed, coming to sit beside him on the bench. “Do you feed them often?” Dave shrugged.

“Just sometimes. Guess your Seery powers saw right through me. I’m secretly a wrinkly old woman, tossing out breadcrumbs to her little flock of birds alone on the park bench.”

“Your secret is safe with me.” Rose watched the crows hopping around. “So long as they aren’t eating up all your affection. I would hate for my status as your best friend to be taken over by a flock of birds.”

“Be cool, Lalonde. No one’s losing any statuses. Those things are locked up tight, up in the status safe, which ironically, has the status of safest safe around. No statuses getting pinched from that, no sir.” Rose offered a good-natured chuckle to the small rant. Dave smirked, then returned his attention to the birds.

“…It’s just,” He began, “I’d see crows back at my apartment and kinda always wanted to try feeding them for the Hell of it, see if they’d actually eat some food I threw out there.”

“But you didn’t?”

“Nah, those greedy motherfuckers could go get their own food. So how’s your special Seer training or shit?”

“It’s going well, I believe.” Rose drew her needles out of her belt and held one up in each hand. “Observe:” Her lips pursed in focus, and a wisp of light flickered across the points of the needles. Dave whistled.

“Shit, you’ll be blasting stuff apart in no time.”

“Perhaps.” She stowed her needles away. “And how is your own training going?”

“It’s cool.” Dave leaned back against the wall and dug his hands into his pockets. “Karkat shouts a lot, but he panics if I so much as get the smallest cut. He mostly has me jump around taking down targets and timing it. He says my swordplay is pretty good for my age, and we spar a bit too. He’s fast as Hell with that sickle.”

“I see.” Rose propped her chin up in her hands. “Did your brother know you were able to leap through the timestream?”

“He’s the one who fucking taught me.” Dave shrugged. “He also apparently also taught me how to suppress my magical energy so people couldn’t sense it? Like, the whole thing about keeping your emotions in check and not showing any outwards signs. I guess I picked up on doing it…” He made some vague gesture in the air. “Magically, too.”

“Interesting.” Rose drummed her fingers against her lips. “Have you called your brother about all this business?”

“Hell no.” Dave tilted his head back to stare at the sky. “He probably knows all about what’s going on. I dunno what kind of game he’s playing, but he’ll pop up eventually, and I’ll be ready for whatever bullshit he’s going to throw at me.” Rose leaned forward to study his face.

“Are you ok? With learning all this?”

“Course I am.” He turned his head to look at her. “It’d be kinda rude to be complaining about this deal after you took things so well.” Rose pursed her lips.

“I wouldn’t blame you if you were a little upset.”

“Nah, I’m cool.”

“Dave,” She spoke firmly, “What happened at the square, I’m here if you need to talk to someone.” Dave paused for the shortest second, then shook his head.

“It’s fine. I didn’t think about it. I’m not thinking about it now.” He got up. “Come on, let’s go bother Ampora into taking us into town.”

They left the courtyard behind to head to the dorms. On the way, a faint breeze brushed past them, making Rose pause.

“Wait.” She glanced over her shoulder. “Wind indoors?” The breeze picked up, ruffling around her skirt.

“Shit.” Dave brushed his hair out of his eyes and looked around. “Is this a magic thing?”

“Hey!” They turned back to look in front of them and found a boy their age racing toward them. His feet dangled over the floor as he seemed to glide by on the air. He came to a stop in front of them, still floating a few inches above the carpet. The wind swirled around him, tousling his jet black hair and blue tunic. He flashed them a wide grin.

“You guys must be the new Seer and Knight, right? Wow!” The wind cut out and he landed, adjusting his square-rimmed glasses. “And you guys are my age too! That’s so cool! I’m John!” He stuck his hand out. After a pause Rose shook it, then nudged Dave so he did as well.

“Nice to meet you, John,” She said, “I’m Rose. This is Dave. We’ve been here for a couple of weeks now. I had thought our appearance was old news by now.”

“Well yeah but,” John shrugged, “I just got back from lowas. So I missed seeing you guys!” Rose blinked.

“Lowas?”

“Oh sorry.” He reached into his tunic. “I mean the Land of Wind and Shade. Ugh, what a mouthful.” He pulled out a paper and showed them a picture of a dark blue landscape, filled with mushrooms and fireflies. “I just passed my quest and became an official level 2 magician! I guess you guys haven’t gone to a land yet, huh?”

“I read about the lands.” Rose spoke up when Dave shot her a “what is he talking about?” look. “They’re special places that are saturated with magic of a certain Aspect. The Land of Wind and Shade is a…Breath Land, correct?”

“Yeah!” John spread his arms out, making the wind blow and curl around them again. “I’m a Breath magician, but you guys are way cooler! Is it true you were raised by a Seadweller? How did that happen?”

“I was raised by Eridan from the age of ten,” Rose answered, “though I didn’t know he was a Seadweller at the time. He’s my godfather.”

“Oh…” John’s face went sober and he dropped his arms. “So your parents…”

“My mother died in an accident.” Rose gripped the hem of her shirt. “She is apparently well-known in these parts. I’m surprised you didn’t know.”

“Uh, oh well?” John scratched his cheek. “But gee, I’m sorry about your mom. My dad died when I was thirteen, so I got taken in by Skaia. What about you, Dave?” Dave raised both hands, as if to resist being pulled into the discussion of dead parents.

“I never knew my parents. Just me and my bro.”

“Oh.” John chewed on his lip. “So…can I meet your Seadweller godfather? I’ve never seen a Seadweller. Do they really have fins?”

 

000

 

“WHOA!” Eridan jumped and twisted around to glare at John for his loud exclamation. John didn’t seem to notice because he strode forward, practically skipping with excitement. “You’re a Seadweller! I’ve never met one in person before! I’m John!” John stuck his hand out. Eridan just continued to glare at him, then looked up at Rose and Dave standing a bit behind John. Rose shrugged and Dave flashed him a thumbs-up.

“Is it uncomfortable to be out of the water?” John began to press him with questions, “Do your gills dry out? Do you eat the same stuff that trolls eat?”

Rose shifted from one foot to the other, watching and wondering if she should intervene. Eridan hadn’t said anything yet, but eyebrows were slowly drawing closer together the more John spoke. Just as she was about to clear her throat Eridan’s eyes snapped wide in realization and he jabbed a finger at John’s chest.

“Wait, you’re Egbert’s kid! Ain’t ya?”

John’s words abruptly died, leaving his mouth hanging half-open and his arms hovering in the middle of some gesture.

 _“Oh, good Lord.”_ Rose let her forehead fall into her hand while Eridan, to her horror, kept talking.

“I haven’t seen ya since you were still droolin in diapers, but ya look just like him,” He grunted and waved a hand at John’s face, “Your dad was a friend of Rox’s. decent enough man. Thought something might start between them, until-” He noticed the glare and cutting motion Rose was giving him, stopped, then coughed. “Uh, sorry about, him, by the way.”

“John?” Rose took a step forward, “Are you ok?”

John’s mouth closed, then he grinned. “Don’t worry about it,” He answered easily, “It was a long time ago.”

“Uh,” Eridan’s eyes flickered to Rose for any more hints before he nodded, “Yeah.”

“So, you’re really Rose’s Godfather?”

“Yeah,” Eridan waved a hand over at Rose, “And I’m watchin Dave for a while, I guess, since…” His face twisted into a ponderous expression as his hand dropped back down again, “Hang on, how long before your brother starts gettin worried anyways? Does he even know what happened? Is it normal for guardians to leave their kids for two weeks with someone they’ve never directly met or what?”

Dave shrugged. “He knows where I am. Seemed chill with everything else.”

Eridan frowned, then leaned forward, eyes narrowing as he scrutinized Dave. Dave stared back without so much of a twitch.

Rose cleared her throat, making them both snap their attention to her.

“If I recall,” She began, “We were originally going to ask you about heading into town. I heard rumor of a group of performers in the square?”

Eridan still seemed a little suspicious, but he sighed and shoved himself up from the table.

“I know those performers. Harlots, the lot of them. I can do whatever they do, and **better** , but sure, whatever. Is Egbert comin too?”

 

000

 

Lessons continued, and afterwards they hung out around town or at the castle. John continued to talk with them and the group became fast friends. Eridan accepted his presence with a shrug, and his rapid-fire questions about Seadwellers with only a little of irritation.

Not everyone was as enthusiastic about Eridan though. Aside from Karkat, Kanaya, and Terezi, most avoided him. The other trolls in Skaia gave him looks that ranged from wariness, reverence, or downright fear. Eridan, for the most part, ignored them, answered anything curtly, and spent most of his time in the library or his room. Rose brought it up with him one day, sitting in his room.

“I’m only here to make sure you’re ok,” He answered when she asked, “not my problem if they don’t like me.” He shrugged, occupied with jotting something down at his desk. “I’ve never been good at ‘friendly’ anyways.”

“Well, you have a point there.” Rose crossed her legs and sat back in her chair, folding her arms neatly over her lap. “One cannot forget the look on poor Mrs. Goodwin’s face when you compared her lemon squares to army rations.”

“Hey,” He pointed at her without looking up, “that was fuckin **polite**. They tasted like dirt with cheap perfume rubbed in.”

“You were banned from all future potlucks.”

“Because I flipped a table, not because I insulted her lemon crap. Where was this goin again?”

“Being more friendly to the other people here.”

“Well, I haven’t flipped a table yet.”

“I’m just saying,” Rose continued carefully, “wouldn’t it be nicer for you here if most people weren’t glaring at you out of the corner of their eyes?”

“I don’t really care,” He grunted, “I’ve got Kan, Kar, and Ter, and you and Dave. And that Egbert kid doesn’t seem to hate me. That’s enough for me. ‘Sides the rest a the people seem like assholes.” He finally looked up to shoot her a soft look. “Don’t worry about me. I can be civil enough it won’t be leading to any fightin. I ain’t some volatile wriggler, else half a these half-wits would be ash already.” Rose smirked, but wasn’t prepared to let the matter drop yet.

“Still, it might help to at least-” A loud banging on the door interrupted her.

“MR. AMPORA! MR. AMPORA!” Eridan scowled and shoved himself away from the desk before stomping over. He yanked the door open, nearly making the troll knocking fall through.

“What?” The troll, a young male oliveblood, straightened quickly to look up at him.

“The Prince of Rage has entered Skaia,” He announced. Rose hopped up off her chair, noting the way Eridan stiffened up at the news.

“Who’s the Prince of Rage?” She asked. The troll peeked around Eridan to look at her.

“Oh Miss Lalonde! Thank goodness, we were looking for you. All children-”

“Yo.” Dave shoved himself in front of the troll, making him sputter. “Rose, Ampora, they’re saying some big bad is heading our way so they’re rounding anyone under a voting license to hop on down to that big teleporting puddle to get ready to spirit us away to candyland or whatever in case shit hits the-”

“Later, Dave,” Eridan snapped as he headed toward the door. “Rose, go with him to the portal.” Rose followed after him, mouth pressed into a thin line.

“Who’s the Prince of Rage?”

“Asshole,” Eridan grunted as they hurried down the hall. “General a the Condesce, Powerful, get goin.” He turned down a different corridor than the one leading to the portal. Rose paused.

“Where are you going?”

“Where do you think?” He called over his shoulder, “Get to the portal.”

The other troll followed after him, talking quickly as they left, “The Prince of Rage is cutting a wide path of destruction, approaching from the west, he’ll come through the Plaza of Serenity…” Rose watched them go, then turned to Dave, who nodded.

“I know what you’re thinking. Lead the way.”

They turned away from the portal to head down another hallway. “The corridor with the courtyard should be mostly empty,” Rose mused, “And was it my imagination, or was there a ladder leading up one of the buildings?”

They dodged around any well-meaning adults and made it to the courtyard. The crows flew down to greet them, but Dave waved his arms off to scatter them.

“Sorry guys, no bread today. Strictly serious business like even more serious than stuffing your fat faces with bread and seeds and whatever the Hell you guys also eat. Like carrion I guess? I heard you guys ate carrion.” His rambling continued as they climbed the ladder, but Rose shushed him once they got to the top, gesturing that he listen. The town was eerily quiet for an afternoon of nice weather.

They heard loud crash a few blocks down. Dave stood up to look.

“We can probably make it over the rooftops to whatever the fuck that was.”

“Rooftop-hopping?” Rose peered over the nearest gap. “This is new, but I admit taking the roads could expose us.”

“Chill Rose, a little rooftop hopping is like a walk in a park, a kiddie park with paved ways and cushions everywhere for all the little tykes still getting used to walking,” He stepped forward to the edge as he talked, “And even the most worrisome of parents can finally kick back-” He jogged down a slant and kicked off a chimney, landing on the next building. “-cause even they know this is all safe as hell yeah no way little Tommy’s gonna get spattered on the pavement-” He turned back to face her, hands dug in his pocket. Rose scowled, then gathered her skirts up in two fists. With a charge of Light magic she ripped the bottom half away, then stood up to follow.

One running leap and a skipped heartbeat later, she was standing beside Dave, who, she realized, was still extending on his metaphor.

“-just the easiest most benign shit in the world. We’re all great parents.” He finished. Another explosion echoed, this time a little closer.

“It looks like he’s still making his way to the university.” Rose shaded her eyes to look. “I can see the square the troll mentioned. We’ll meet him there.”

They went scrambling over the buildings to intercept the coming threat in time. Dave helped Rose over the harder jumps, sometimes going first to build her an easier path. Rose was too anxious to feel bitter or proud over it.

They arrived in view of the square, just in time for another blast to send a spray of stone and dust into the air. They ducked down, covering their heads from the falling debris.

“Man,” Dave muttered, “How many times are we gonna get pelted with rocks and shit?” Rose was about to summon some kind of retort when a familiar voice called out from the square.

“You havin fun strikin down all those formidable water spouts?”

“Eridan?” Rose peeked out over the roof’s wall and Dave followed suit. Eridan was standing at the entrance of the square, arms crossed and cape whipping around him. He was alone. Rose followed his glare to the remains of the fountain, and her heart leapt to her throat.

The Prince of Rage was a massive, hulking figure of a troll. Even hunched over, he was at least double Eridan’s height, and his horns spiraled upwards for several feet more. His hair was a black mass flying out in all directions and hanging down his back like an animal’s pelt. He took a step forward, painted face spreading wide in a fanged grin.

“Well HEY THERE, little FISH.” His voice boomed, making Rose’s ears ring even from up on the roof. “Watcha all up and MOTHERFUCKING DOING coming out here to MEET ME?!” Eridan remained perfectly still with his face perfectly calm, which let Rose know exactly how tense he was.

“Kurloz Makara,” Eridan’s voice rang clear and confident, “I’m here to personally escort your sorry clown ass outta this town.” Kurloz’s eyes bugged out, then he threw his head back in a shaking roar of laughter. It was a wheezing, wild laugh, punctuated by loud honks as he breathed in.

“A little, a LITTLE FISH!!” He gasped between guffaws, “A LITTLE FISH NOT PAST HIS HUNDRETH SWEEP!” He faced Eridan again, that disconcerting grin returning. “Reminds me of another FUNNY little VIOLET. I gotta NICE PLACE for your SKULL right next to HIS.” Rose’s fingers tightened against the stone roof, and Dave reached out to grasp her wrist.

“Lucky for your little fins,” Kurloz sneered and shuffled forward, yanking a scroll out of his belt. “Her motherfucking Imperiousness wants things to go nice and smooth. She was in a good mood, drew up a fancy little paper and everything ‘asking’ for the new little Seer to come along back with me.” He tossed the scroll, and it must have been charmed because it sailed right into Eridan’s waiting hand. He flicked it open and glanced at it before tossing it over his shoulder, turning it to ash in a single burst of white fire.

“As her godfather, Rose Lalonde is under my care.” His tone held a trace of a growl. “And she will remain so.” Kurloz chuckled and shifted back to stand up straight in all his towering height.

“That SO? Makes shit all motherfucking SIMPLE, then.” He drew a large spiked club out from his belt. “Just gotta KILL YA to go fixing THAT problem.” Eridan shifted back and raised his hands in a fighting stance, palms open and white light flaring up around them. “I HEARD about you, little FISH. Let’s see if taking CARE of a human made ya SOFT,” Kurloz grinned as purple fire began to boil around his feet. “SOFT AND SQUISHY.”

A hand clapped down on Rose’s shoulder, making her yelp and whirl around as Dave did the same. Karkat glared down at them.

“ **There** you are.” He seethed while Terezi snickered behind him. “You fuckers have a death wish?! We’re getting you out of here.” He yanked them both back the way they had come. Rose dug her heels into the ground.

“Eridan-”

“Will have a Hell of a better chance if you aren’t running around like decapitated cluckbeats in harm’s way. Come on.”

He dragged them down off the roof and through back alleys back to the university. The ground shook every few seconds, accompanied by loud booms and crashes and the sounds of buildings breaking apart.

“Can Eridan beat him?” She asked Terezi, whose face screwed up in thought.

“He might. He might not.”

“The Prince of Rage is a terrifying fucker,” Karkat grunted, “Eridan is, frankly, batshit insane to be taking him on alone. As soon as we get you two back we’ll go join him, if he manages to stay alive in that time.” Terezi jabbed him in the stomach and shot him a dirty expression. He swore, then jerked his head over to return the glare. “What?! Am I supposed to say he’ll definitely be fine, that he’ll come skipping back with some cotton candy and creamsicles?! **You’re** the fucking Seer!”

“Oh my God!” She groaned, “Look, there’s a bunch of pathways!”

“Yeah, yeah, consequences and shit. We’re here.” Karkat ripped open a doorway and herded Dave and Rose inside.

Several adults rushed in to swarm them, asking if they were hurt and where they had been, as well as shooing them off toward the portal room.

“Eridan is fighting the Prince of Rage,” Rose spoke over their questions and stepped away from their persistent nudging. “Alone, he needs help.”

“We are aware.” She turned to find Kanaya walking toward them, face grim. “We’ve sent out a party, but no one here is above a level 6 magician. Facing the Prince of Rage directly would be suicide.” Dave twisted out of someone’s hold on his sleeve and stepped over to join Rose.

“So Ampora-”

“Eridan is a level 7 magician,” Kanaya answered, “The highest tier with an official title, but so is the Prince of Rage, and power levels can vary greatly at the highest level.”

“We’ll head out.” Karkat declared, hefting his sickle. “Ampora better still be-” He paused as Terezi grabbed his shoulder. She pressed a finger to her lips, and everyone went silent to listen. No new tremors or sounds hit them for a full minute.

“The fighting’s over,” Terezi declared, “Now it’s time to wait and smell.”

“See?” Rose asked.

“Excuse me! I’m blind, dummy!”

“Ah, yes of course. How rude of me.”

“Apology accepted.”

Karkat groaned and slapped his forehead.

“You’re all goddamn wrigglers with nookwaste for brains.”

“Quite!” Terezi hushed him, “We have to listen!”

They waited in heavy silence. Rose closed her eyes, but she was too nervous to focus on gleaning any information. Dave placed one hand on her shoulder while the other gripped his sword.

They heard the front door crash open, making everyone jump and spin around, hands on their weapons.

“ALRIGHT FUCKERS!” Eridan’s voice bounced down the hallways, “DING DONG THE SCARY CLOWN IS ROADKILL YOU CAN ALL GO BACK TO WHATEVER INANE DRIVEL YOU WERE OCCUPYIN YOURSELF WITH.”

Rose broke into a run down the halls, following the voice until she found the Seadweller slumped against the wall a few feet from the entrance. He was covered head to toe in two shades of purple blood, his cape was torn to shreds, his glasses were missing and he had a piece of long spiraling horn hanging limply in one hand.

“Ey Rose.” He waved the horn at her drunkenly. “Ain’t you supposed to be by the portal or some shit?”

“Holy FUCK, Ampora.” Karkat swore passionately as he strode over to him. “What did you DO!?”

“What I do best.” Eridan stumbled a few steps forward before Kanaya swooped in to catch him and help him stand. “Thanks Kan. Can ya fix the gash on half my head?” Terezi came up and sniffed at him.

“Grapey.” Her mouth twisted into a quizzical expression. “Why did you break off part of his horn?”

“Cause I’m high on victory, blood loss, and magical backlash, Ter. Let me live. I just fought like Hell for that right. Eh whatever.” He let the horn clatter to the ground and instead used his hand to clutch at a violet stain on his side. Kanaya turned her focus there as well.

“Could we get a Life magician, please? Or several?” She called over her shoulder at the crowd that had gathered. A couple of people shuffled up.

“Aw Hell,” Eridan grimaced and tried to step back, “No offense but do I gotta? Have strangers pokin at my injuries?”

“If you want to skip a period of weeks immobile and swathed in bandages, yes,” Kanaya answered sharply, smacking him on the shoulder and making him grunt in pain.

“Will you be ok?” Rose watched the magicians summoning green light to cover him head to toe. He shuddered, then nodded.

“Yeah, I’ll shake this shit off. Could use a shower though.” The healers moved away and he stepped forward on his own, wincing a little but appearing steady. “See? Just need a bit more rest.”

“Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for your clothing.” Kanaya grimaced and tugged at his torn left sleeve. “All ruined. There’s no salvaging this.”

“Jesus Kan, I’ll buy ano-”

“ **What** …” The hall fell silent at Cora’s harsh tone of voice, “-is that?” She was pointing down at Eridan’s sleeve, face tight with a mix of suspicion and horror.

Eridan yanked his sleeve out of Kanaya’s hold. Rose saw something black under the fabric before he moved it behind the remains of his cloak and turned around to face Cora head on.

“A shirt sleeve,” He growled, “Ain’t never seen one before? Cause you might wanna **slowly** look down at your own arm. Don’t show too much surprise.” Cora’s eyes narrowed, and she didn’t lower her finger.

“What’s on your arm?”

“It’s none a your fuckin-”

“Is it what I think it is!?” She interrupted him. By now the entire room was staring between her and Eridan, eyes on his left arm hidden behind his cloak. “Well?”

Eridan closed his eyes and took a slow breath in through his nose. He then jerked his chin up with a steely expression and raised his arm, pushing back the sleeve. The action revealed a tattoo in the detailed likeness of a mass of black tendrils, starting at his wrist and ending in a few last wisps just past his elbow. A stifled gasp ran over the crowd, and even Kanaya and Karkat took a step away from him.

Rose blinked. The softest noises were building up in the back of her mind. It was as if someone was whispering right next to her, but so quietly she couldn’t hear. The longer she stared at the tattoo, the louder the voices grew. But despite the mounting volume she still couldn’t discern their meaning. She glanced around, but no one else seemed to have noticed them. Dave was standing beside her, face blank as usual. Everyone else was still gaping at Eridan.

“Those…” Cora’s voice was low and trembled slightly in shock. “Are those…real?”

“A course they’re fuckin real!” He snapped, making half of them leap back. He dropped his arms to let the sleeve fall back over it the mark. Rose blinked as the voices abruptly died, then rubbed her temples and shook her head. “And did you miss the part where it’s **none a your business**?”

“None of my-” Cora sputtered with indignation, “You have welcomed **grimdark** into your body. You-”

Rose stepped forward to stand between them, turning on her heel to face Cora with a stern expression.

“He just saved our lives.” She stated flatly. “What was that I was hearing earlier? No one higher than a level 6 magician? A Prince of Rage?” She idly kicked at the discarded horn, making it roll across the floor. Cora glared down at her, then raised her gaze to face Eridan again.

“Does, Does **she** know about it?”

“I ain’t that irresponsible,” He grunted, “You done disparagin me so can I finally take a fuckin shower already?” Cora didn’t say anything, so Eridan walked around her down the hall, the crowds quickly parting for him.

“…So,” Dave poked Rose in the shoulder as the rest of the people quickly dissipated. “Any idea what that tattoo meant?” Rose shook her head, rubbing her neck. She had a bit of a headache building up.

“I’ve seen it before, of course. It’s not new. He wore long sleeves almost religiously but there were times he rolled them up for this and that. I always assumed it was of some seafaring significance. The kraken, perhaps. He had nautical interests.”

“Uh-huh.” Dave nodded down the hall. “Guess not.”

“Yes, I guess not.” Rose started after the Seadweller. “But no better way than to ask him himse-”

“Lalonde.” She paused and turned back. Karkat was glowering at her, arms crossed. “I need to talk to you. Alone.” He jerked his head to indicate that she follow and headed off. Rose shot Dave a bewildered look. He shrugged.

“Karkat’s pretty cool, but you want me to come with?”

“No, it’s fine. I’ll meet you at dinner.” She hurried after the troll, who led her into the portal room. It had already been cleared out empty again. He spun around to face her and took a deep breath.

“Ok, we need to talk about Eridan,” He started carefully. “I’m a little worried about how…blindingly friendly you are to him.” He raised his hands in what appeared to be the beginning of a gesture, then gave up and dropped them down again. “I don’t think you realize how…” His face screwed up. “…brutal, he is?”

“Oh,” Rose crossed her arms, “Yes, my godfather and guardian of 6 years. He has fins. How scary. How dare I trust him.”

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Karkat gave her the most dramatic eye-roll she had ever seen. “Look, I get it, racial profiling and all that shit. Look, yes, not all Seadwellers are homicidal rage machines. But believe me: Eridan, Eridan is one of those guys. I’m not-” Karkat shook his head. “I’m not going to go spouting up ugly tears and horrific fables about how he’s some terrifying god of destruction that carves a path of blood and ruin to all he goes. I just want you to be aware he’s not some sweet mellow fluffy lusus that could do no harm. You **just** saw him come back from murdering someone.”

“Excuse me,” Rose cocked an eyebrow at him, “was that not justified?”

“Yes it was justified!” Karkat snapped back, “But to him it wasn’t a question over whether it was justified. It was just the most **effective**. He wasn’t thinking this was some necessary evil he was committing. It was just an obstacle. Eridan just isn’t the type to look into the most moral, or peaceful, situation. His first option is violence, and I’m worried you don’t **know** that. He spent most of his time pretending to be a human around you, and humans have different views on this stuff. I think you see him as your cool surrogate lusus who would never do something needlessly bad, but the guy has a harder time choosing breakfast than killing.”

Rose studied the patterns on the stone floor, chewing on the words for a few seconds. “I feel I should say,” She answered slowly, “he can be very finicky about his meal choices.” Karkat groaned, dropping his head back to stare at the ceiling.

“Look, I’m not saying beware or watch your back or some shit. I just, you should be aware of this part of him, so it doesn’t shock you later, or so you don’t just follow everything he does as what’s ‘right’. Do you understand?”

“I understand,” She answered, mostly because she was incredibly ready to be done with the conversation. Karkat looked skeptical, but he gave a grudging nod.

“Alright, look, I haven’t seen the guy in years, and obviously he raised you without immediately obvious scarring, so maybe he’s more mindful of this stuff, but just, be careful with him, ok?”

“Mm-hm.” Rose stepped toward the doorway. “Can I go now? I would like to make sure he’s ok.” Karkat snorted.

“He’s gonna be in the ablution block for an hour, but go ahead. Get out of here. I’m done filling your think pan with anxious spittle about your guardian.” She nodded and turned to leave. “One more thing.” She glanced over her shoulder, mouth pursed into a slight frown.

“Yes?”

“Tell him thanks.” Karkat sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. “For you know, taking down one of the generals in the Condesce’s army. We do owe him for that.” She smirked faintly.

“I shall let him know you were completely overwhelmed with gratitude.” He grumbled something she didn’t care to hear as she left.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok so by "good terms with the other trolls" I guess I meant in a "He's our friend but we're also aware of what he's capable of" way.
> 
> John: Watch me ask a rapid fire set of questions that are borderline overly personal and could make things awkward.  
> Eridan: Ha! Watch this.
> 
> Eridan didn't flip the table because he was mad or anything. A dog got loose, and in the confusion Eridan thought it was some threat and went into protective mode. Imagine his relief and annoyance when he yanked the table up to find an excited barkbeast that thought he wanted to play.
> 
> I swear Cora isn't a bad person she's normally very nice and patient but she doesn't trust Eridan as far as she can throw him and also there are demons or something on his arm.
> 
> Dave don't feed the crows bread it's not good for them. Feed them birdseed or something.


	6. Stories, Legends, and Myths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose finds an old book, talks to Eridan about old relations, and dreams of old things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alternatively, "The chapter where Eridan is terrible at understanding human customs and feelings, even more terrible at dissuading 16-year-olds and their pressing questions, and should probably start locking his door to keep those pesky questioning 16-year-olds out."

Eridan went straight to sleep after cleaning up. Rose opted to leave him to rest. No one approached her about the events, except John, who peppered them with questions over dinner.

“Sadly,” Rose explained patiently as she sliced her food, “Mr. Vantas and Pyrope escorted us away before we were able to see Eridan reaping holy vengeance on the Prince of Rage.”

“Aw man…” John sighed, slumping down on the table. “I should have snuck out to see!”

“You probably should not have.” Rose drummed her fingers against her chin. “Do you know anything about a tattoo made of black tentacles?” John’s face screwed up in thought.

“Uh, no? I know some tattoos can be magical like help you focus your powers or carry premade spells, but I don’t really know about any like that!”

“I see.” She speared another one of the purple dumplings. “Well, thank you anyways.”

Dinner over, Rose wandered down to the library. She knew the section on Light magic backwards and forwards by now. Perhaps it was time for a change. She followed the signs through the sections and found herself perusing through a shelf of adventure stories. They seemed to be the typical fare, evil kingdoms, shining heroes. She did note a lack of blatant heteronormativity and gained a new appreciation for the culture of the Incipisphere.

A title caught her eye and she pulled it out for a closer look. She glanced down at the cover and dropped it as if it had burned her. The corner hit her foot before bouncing to the ground. She looked around to see if anyone had seen her, then stooped down and picked it back up, her hands trembling faintly. The cover was adorned with a rather gaudy image of a bearded man in a robe, magic purple light swirling around him. At the bottom was the author’s name, written in bright pink cursive.

 

_Roxanne Lalonde_

“Oh, hello Rose.” Her head snapped up to look at Kanaya, who was giving her a curious look. “I hadn’t thought I would find you in this section. Did you find an interesting book?” Kanaya peeked over at the title and her eyes softened. “Ah.”

“I knew she was a writer in her spare time.” Rose murmured, hugging the book to her chest, “But I hadn’t thought I would run into any of her stories. They weren’t world famous or anything.”

“True,” Kanaya answered, “I wasn’t even aware the library held them. But the magic in them was just accurate enough to be accepted in the Incipisphere, and just vague enough to pass on earth without incident. An impressive feat. Have you read it before?” Rose frowned and studied the cover.

“This one, I don’t believe so.”

“Perhaps you should.” Kanaya offered her a smile as she pulled out a book of her own. “Many of her stories were based off her own adventures. With of course, a touch of glamour. Regardless, I believe it would be a rather nice read.”

“I see.” Rose flipped it over and nodded. “I believe I will, thank you.”

 

000

 

_So with all trials, tribulations, and assorted crap, the Rogue of Shadows lived happy and fulfilled with her family, and the world remained safe from the evil Ocean Witch forevermore._

_~fin_

Rose closed the book, then let it rest on her crossed legs. She sat on her bed awhile longer, pondering the walls around her and the heavy weight of the book in her lap, then got up and moved toward the door.

“Eridan?” She knocked, and when he called back she poked her head into his room. “Are you busy?”

“Nah.” He grunted and leaned back in his chair. “Just fillin in some report on the latest mission. What’s up?”

“Have you read this?” She held the book up for him to see. He fixed his glasses to squint at it, then his face lit up in recognition.

“A course. That’s one a Rox’s books. We had a copy in the bookshelves back home.”

“Indeed. I hadn’t read it before now.” She looked down at it, “I think I actually recall her publishing it. I was six or so.” Eridan nodded.

“About that age, yeah.”

“Among the characters…” She cocked an eyebrow at him, “It mention’s the Rogue’s steadfast companion, a grumpy but kind merman who aids her on her quest, guiding her through the Ocean Witch’s lands and fighting their foes with a mysterious white light.” Eridan coughed, a violet tinge rising to his cheeks.

“Yeah well, she might a taken some inspiration from me for some parts.”

“‘-and whose siren song could charm both women and men alike, and probably anything else.’” Rose read aloud from a page she had bookmarked. “Can you really sing that well?” He sputtered and shook his head so hard his glasses almost flew off.

“I thought she cut that part!” He groaned and smacked his hands over his face while Rose grinned.

“There was another thing.” Her smile vanished as she flipped to the end. “In the ending, she stabs the Ocean Witch in the chest, killing her for good. With her defeated, she then retires to a quiet and happy life with her lover, now husband, and two children, while her merman companion finds love with another beautiful Seadweller of ambiguous gender and everyone lives happily ever after.”

“Yeah?” Eridan leaned over the desk, propping his cheek against his knuckles to watch her. “What about it?”

“Well I’m aware that this story is somewhat based on real events-”

“Your mom never actually got to stab the Ocean Witch,” Eridan answered, voice tinged with disappointment. “But we totally did free a village a salamanders and save some carpacians from a wildfire.”

“Interesting.” She pursed her lips. “But actually, I was more wondering about my father.” Eridan’s eyes bugged out and he nearly slipped off his arm to fall onto the desk.

“Fuck!” He slammed his arm down for balance, or maybe just out of emotional distress. For a second he snarled down at the wooden surface with surprising ferocity, then squeezed his eyes shut and sucked in a breath through his nose.

“What about him?” His tone was completely inert. Rose blinked rapidly, then squeezed the book in her hands.

“I was, just wondering. Mom never told me anything about him, but her ending implies she perhaps wanted a different reality. What became of him?” Eridan glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, then he took another deep breath.

“Dead,” He said. Rose frowned.

“He’s dead?”

“Dead to me, he is.” Eridan fumbled with his report, straightening it back into a pile. “Guess childcare wasn’t for him. He made sure Rox was keepin you, then left her a wad a money in a bank account and fucked off forever.”

“Oh.” Rose looked down at the book. “It was, nice of him to leave money.”

“Rox didn’t need money!” Eridan’s voice rose in anger and he threw one hand up in the air for emphasis. “She needed support, goddammit!” He huffed and closed his eyes, forcing his shoulders down. “…Sorry. For yellin. But take my word for it that you don’t need to know shit about that douchebag.” Rose hesitated, then nodded.

“Very well.” She glanced down at the cover again. “She paired you up with someone as well. Did you ever…?” He cocked an eyebrow.

“Where’s this conversation goin?”

“Did you have anyone else? In any other quadrants?”

“I did a long time ago.” He tipped his chair back on two legs to stare up at the ceiling. “When I was like, 6 sweeps anyways. Didn’t work out. Since then, there have been a few flings but Rox and I were travelling all over. Never got any other quads settled.” Rose frowned.

“I’m sorry to hear that. Do you regret it?”

“Pshhh.” He waved her off. “Don’t talk like I’m some old spinster. I’m a Seadweller at 23 sweeps. I’ve got ages to find someone.” He chuckled. “Gotta admit though I was desperate for a quad for a while, especially the concupiscent ones, but Rox reminded me bein single ain’t Hell, and the imperial drones ain’t on my back or anythin.” He glanced back at her, “But you don’t wanna hear about your guardian’s past conquests. Don’t worry about me. What about you? Any girls catch your eye here?” Rose rolled her eyes.

“You know how picky I am. I’m afraid none of the ladies my age here seem particularly interesting.” He shrugged.

“Suit yourself.”

“One more thing,” She turned her attention back to the last pages of the book, “the ending mentioned she had **two** children. Did mom ever plan to have another child? Why didn’t she?”

“Oh nah.” Eridan waved a hand in dismissal. “That was probably just your stillborn twin.” Rose blinked, then cocked an eyebrow at him, waiting for him to crack an awkward half-smile or follow up to assure her it was a joke. He went back to his report.

“Come again?” She finally asked. He looked up again with a quizzical expression.

“Huh?”

“Was that your off-color sense of humor again?”

“My humor ain’t off-color!” He protested.

“I had a stillborn twin?!” She demanded, a little too loudly judging by Eridan’s startled expression.

“What? Yeah?” He made some vague gesture in the air. “It was a, another kid I guess that died before it was born? That’s the gist of what I got outta it.” When Rose didn’t respond Eridan leaned in a little to scrutinize her, his expression changing with mounting concern. “Does that, Does that bother you? It fucked Rox up a little but I figured since like, you never even knew about it, I mean him.” He frowned. “Yeah, him, I think.”

“She never told me.” Rose muttered.

“Maybe she was planning to,” Eridan offered hastily, “When you were older.”

“When I was older,” Rose repeated, softly, to herself, “…When was she planning to tell me about all this, I wonder? This entire world she was so much of a part in.”

“Rose,” Eridan’s eyes crinkled, but he faced her and held her gaze. “Rox, your mom didn’t **mean** to…she didn’t think she wasn’t gonna be around. She was so excited for when she would tell you and show you all this crap.” He bit his lip and looked away, “But, I’m doin it instead. I know it ain’t the same.”

The silence hung heavy around them. Rose shuffled her feet and picked at the fraying edges of the book cover.

“It hasn’t been terrible,” She said finally, “In my opinion, you could have done much worse.” He grimaced.

“Damnin with faint praise, there.”

“You did a fine job.” She turned back toward the door. “Well, I suppose I should return this book.”

“Rose,” He called after her as she stepped out, “Are you, do you need to talk about it?”

“It’s…” She shook her head, “It’s fine, thank you.” She left, closing the door quickly behind her.

She let her feet take her down the memorized path to the library, keeping the book close to her chest and her head down as she wandered around in her thoughts.

“You ok?” She stopped, then turned around. Dave was standing there, hands dug into his pockets. “You looked kind of like you were walking to a funeral.”

“Not quite.” She sighed, then raised and dropped her shoulders to loosen them. “Did you know I had a stillborn twin?” Dave cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Uh, no?”

“Neither did I.” She shook her head. “It’s just, strange to think about. The possibility of growing up with a sibling. My life would be quite different. I…” She fell silent, then looked around. Dave frowned, then grabbed her shoulder.

“Hey.” He held up a bag of birdseed. “I was gonna feed the crows again. Come on, the feathery shits have been asking about you.” She smiled weakly at the invitation.

“Have they, now?”

“Totally. They wanna name you their queen of darkness or something.” He squeezed her shoulder before leading the way down the hall.

 

000

 

“When I think about having a sibling,” Rose watched the birds hopping around, grabbing at the food offered to them, “I think about what it would have been like at mother’s death.” Dave nodded along, tossing out more seeds.

“Eridan was with me, of course,” She continued, “and we mourned together, but it wasn’t quite the same. A sibling, I can’t help but imagine it would have felt a little less lonely. We would have been some sort of same kind of distraught.”

“Sounds about right.” Dave offered Rose the rest of the bag. She accepted it and tossed it out to the birds. “I mean, I’ve got my bro, but he doesn’t really, feel like a sibling or anything. He’s like, a cooler version of a parent.” He leaned back to look up at the sky. “And like, sometimes I wonder what it would be like, having parents and shit.”

“You’ve never mentioned them.” Rose leaned over to study his face. “Do you not recall them at all?”

“Nope. They died or whatever when I was only a few months old. Bro’s always been the one who raised me, and he never…really talked about them any.”

“I see.” Rose clasped his shoulder. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s not a huge deal.” Dave shrugged her off. “Like, Bro is awesome. He never gives me any of that ‘do your homework, eat your vegetables, be in bed by nine’ shit. I never knew them so I’m not gonna be holding onto any memories or whatever.” He paused, then shrugged. “I just, wonder about ‘what if’.”

“That can be hard too.” Rose sat back, and they watched the birds in silence for a few minutes. Abruptly, Rose held her hand out to him. Dave looked down at it, then cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Are we seriously doing this?”

“Indeed,” She answered without looking at him, “We’re making this happen.”

“…Alright.” He clasped the hand. “We did it. Fucking feeling jammies all around.”

“I’m absolutely tingling with emotion.”

“Warn me if you’re gonna pass out so I can like, strip my jacket off and set it down for your tender little head.”

“What a gentleman.”

“Only the best of knights for the fair magical damsel.”

“I am positively swooning, Mr. Strider.”

“The crows are gonna start telling us to get a room.”

“Hush.”

 

000

 

A few days later, Rose was tucked away in the library bookshelves, face buried in a tome about proper light technique. She had quickly outgrown the book Eridan had given her, and was improving herself almost faster than Kanaya and Terezi could prepare lessons for her.

Hushed voices from behind the shelves made her pause and look up.

“-matter of time before her imperious homicidal sea dictator thinks up some retribution **stylish** enough for her tastes.” It was Karkat. His whisper never seemed to manage to be quieter than one’s normal volume.

“Karkat, there’s no need to panic.” Kanaya’s voice answered. Rose tilted her head to the side, brushing the hair away from her ear. “Skaia will have plenty of warning for whatever she decides to do next. I doubt she will do anything hasty after losing the Prince of Rage.”

“Are you sure, Kanaya?!” Karkat hissed back, “Are you fucking sure?! For all we know she’ll be sending fucking Jack Noir next to slaughter us all!”

“Karkat please,” Kanaya sighed, “panicking will not help anything.”

“I’m not panicking! I’m perfectly calm! Calm as a goddamn wriggler frozen in a glacier, completely numb to its surroundings!” He huffed and grumbled a bit before continuing, “Whatever, we should talk with Terezi about this. Where the fuck is she anyways? I think she’s avoiding me to go do something reckless again.”

Rose heard two sets of footsteps fading away, and after a few seconds peeked out from behind the bookshelf. They were gone.

She took the book with her back to the dorms, dropping it off in her room before knocking on Eridan’s door.

“Eridan?” She called, “Are you in here?”

“Yeah,” He called back, “come on in, door’s open.”

She stepped inside. Eridan was at his desk, writing in a journal. She snuck a peek and found he was writing in an alphabet of unfamiliar symbols, right to left. He nodded to her as she closed the door.

“What’s up? Feelin restless? Tryin to figure out some spell?”

“Not quite.” She leaned up against the wall. “I was wondering if you knew someone by the name of Jack Noir?”

Eridan’s pen screeched across the paper, covering both pages with a wide slash of violet ink as his head jerked up to look at her in shock.

“Where did you hear about him?” He demanded. Rose raised both her hands in a defensive gesture and shook her head.

“I simply overheard him mentioned. He seemed powerful, enough to worry people if he were to come here.” His eyes narrowed, then he shook his head and turned the page of his journal.

“Noir’s another general a the Condesce. And whoever you heard was right. He ain’t just powerful, he’s basically a god. This place would be right fucked if he showed up.” Rose cocked her head to the side.

“Even with you around?” He fell silent. Rose waited as patiently as she could, but he just sat still, staring at the wall in front of him.

“I can’t beat Noir,” He said firmly, “If he comes here, we’re leavin.”

“Oh,” Rose answered, a little taken aback. Eridan turned away, and Rose noted the way his hand trembled faintly, resting on the desk. He was wearing long sleeves, as always. She couldn’t see even the smallest mark of black peeking out on his wrist.

“What was that tattoo that stirred everyone up?” The best way to get an answer out of Eridan was straight on. He started, then turned to scowl at her.

“Did someone put you up to this?”

“No, I’m afraid it’s simply my own ravenous curiosity.” Eridan snorted, then sighed.

“Don’t worry about it.” He rested one hand over the marked arm. “It’s nothin.” Rose’s lips pressed into a tight frown at such a blatant lie.

“It certainly doesn’t seem like it.”

“It’s nothin you or anyone else here has to worry about,” He growled, “It’s just,” He shrugged, “It’s just a…a little trick up my sleeve. How about that?”

“How about that is that I think it’s bullshit,” She answered easily. His scowl deepened.

“God, I’d ask where you got a mouth like that but I already know.” He slapped his book shut and stood up. “Come on, Dave’s probably lookin for us at dinner.”

 

000

 

In her dreams, Rose floated through a sea of darkness, like cool ink flowing around her limbs and tousling her air. She didn’t breathe, or feel any urge to do so. She tilted her head back, trying to see through the shadows. She felt like she should be seeing stars, or at least a surface to whatever substance surrounded her, but there was nothing. Perhaps she had gone blind. She looked down at her hands. She had to bring them right up to her face, but she could still see them.

Something called out to her, the faint whispers she had heard before when she had seen Eridan’s mark, but no matter how hard she listened she couldn’t pinpoint where they were coming from. After a few minutes she made the chilling realization it was because they were, in actuality, all around her, filling the void she couldn’t see through.

She gulped.

The whispers grew louder. She squinted through the darkness, struggling to discern their sources. Something rippled in front of her. Something huge with thousands of moving limbs, like tentacles.

She woke with a start, eyes snapping open as she whispered a single word.

“Horrorterrors.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Rose isn't aware of how narrowly she dodged that bullet of Eridan talked about his past flings.
> 
> "Hey dude sorry about your stillborn bro if you like want I can be your surrogate brother or something we can pretend we're real life twins how crazy would that be haha maybe in an alternate universe or something."
> 
> Kanaya caught Dave sneaking off with another dinner roll and handed him a bag of birdseed instead.


	7. Onward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose delves into some research, Eridan teaches her some new tricks, and some new guests arrive.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's technically still Monday in some places.
> 
> I added one of those floaty text things in this chapter. You hover your mouse over the 1 to see a message.
> 
> Content warning: Pale debauchery.

It took a long time to track down mention of it in the library. Wanting to avoid the suspicious looks that came with asking a library aid, Rose had to scan through several worn index books for the term. She was eventually led to an old encyclopedia on magical beings, tucked away in a dim corner of the library.

 _“Horrorterrors-”_ She read, _“Are the name given to beings that appear to a handful of people, typically in their dreams. Their motives and plane of existence is unknown, but they have on several occasions offered their powers to the people they contact. This is given in the form of a mark.”_ She turned the page and found a drawing of the same black tendrils that had decorated Eridan’s arm.

_“The mark of the Horrorterrors is drawn by the user under the guidance of the creatures, communicating within their mind. Attempting to copy the mark will yield no result. Once the mark is completed-”_

“Rose?” She looked up. Dave was standing at the end of the corridor. He walked over, running a hand over the books as he passed. “What are you doing here? Aren’t the Light books all in that one section you’re always in?”

“Extra research,” She answered briskly, closing the book. Dave quirked an eyebrow at her.

“You remember Ampora specifically said no more trying to summon demons, right?” Rose offered a dainty gasp at the comment.

“Why, I daresay you’re insinuating that I’m up to something potentially diabolical.”

“Jesus Lalonde.” He sat down next to her. “Isn’t having some magical Seer power and doing weird light show stuff enough for you?”

“If you must know,” She looked down at the book in her lap, “I was simply looking into the mark Eridan had on his arm.” Dave frowned.

“Why don’t you just ask him?”

“I did. He said not to worry about it.”

“So here you are, looking it up.”

“Of course.”

“Rose,” Dave leaned back against the bookshelf, “I dunno if you wanna mess around with that stuff. Looks like people were pretty freaked out when they saw it, and not even Eridan wanted to tell you about it.”

“I’m sure it’s fine.” She flipped around for the section again. “They wouldn’t have the books here otherwise.” Dave snorted.

“Alright there, Hermione. But at least get Eridan’s advice if you go deciding to dip you toes in some demonic bullshit.”

“I’ll consider it,” She hummed, finding the chapter again.

 

000

 

Rose sighed, chin propped up in her hand as she stared out the window. The encyclopedia, and any other further books she could get her hands on, had revealed little of anything useful regarding the Horrorterrors. She couldn’t even find an apt description of what the mark was supposed to do, aside from “channeling the power of the Horrorterrors,” and “effects varied.”

She supposed she would either have to ferret the information out of Kanaya or one of the other trolls, or even Eridan himself. Unfortunately, Eridan was away on a mission, meaning not only could she not interrogate him, but she was confined within the university.

“Roooose!” She looked up as a breeze fluttered around her. John came racing up, skidding over the air as usual. “Hey! Mr. Ampora’s back. He said he’s looking for you and Dave.”

“Ah.” She hopped down from the windowsill. “I see, thank you.”

She walked briskly down the corridor, her intuition telling her he would be by the mess hall. He was, along with Dave.

“Rose!” Eridan strode over, the violet cape he insisted on wearing even indoors flapping behind him. “There ya are. Here.” He held up a necklace by its thin gold chain, showing off a pendant shaped into the likeness of the Light Aspect. “Picked it up on my last mission. It’s genuine, charged with magic. Should be useful.”

“I got one too.” Dave pointed to a matching Time pendant around his neck.

“Be careful with them,” Eridan warned as he dropped it into her palm. “Ain’t the most powerful artifact in the world, but you could probably still blow your head off if you have spectacular bad luck and recklessness.”

“Noted.” She looped it over her head.

“You’ve learned enough and you’re responsible enough to handle them.” Eridan crossed his arms, “You’ve **also** learned enough that I was thinkin on teachin you some tricks if you want.” Rose’s eyes lit up at the offer.

“I humbly accept.” Eridan’s face reflected her enthusiasm right back as his face split into a grin reminiscent of a shark.

“Trainin grounds should be free ‘bout now.” He jerked his head that they follow and took off down the hallway. Dave and Rose exchanged a quick glance before running to catch up with him.

There were a few people out on the training grounds, but they took one look at Eridan’s purposeful stride and hurried off to the sidelines to watch.

“Alright.” Eridan raised one finger, making his Hope magic dance at the tip. “Light and Hope are similar enough in that they can both be turned into raw energy.” He glanced at Dave, “I don’t think it works with Time but you just hang on over there Dave.” Dave flashed them a thumbs up, sitting down behind them on the ground.

“I ain’t sure how to explain turnin it to such,” Eridan continued, “This shit is one a the first things I learned how to do, but it’s different for everyone.” He flicked his hand around, then tossed a ball of white light over at one of the targets. It curved around to smack against the dummy, making the sturdy wood shudder. “But I’m sure you can visualize it.” He clenched his hand into a fist and his eyes flashed with an odd intensity. “Call to your power, pulling it forward with the intent a pure destruction.”

“I see.” She nodded, eying the dummies. She pulled her needles out of her belt and set her feet back in a balanced stance. She closed her eyes and took a slow breath, getting a clear image in her head of what she wanted to do. She opened her eyes and drew her needles around in a slow arc. Yellow light smoked from the tips, drawing lines in the air. She pointed them at the dummy and shoved her power forward. Eridan’s eyes widened and he yelped and scrambled back just in time for twin bolts of energy to slam into the dummy like a burst of lighting. The dummy snapped off its pole and clattered to the ground.

Rose lowered her needles with a startled expression. “Oops.” A bark of laughter made her jump and look around. Eridan had his hands planted on his hips with an amused grin.

“Looks like you’ve got it!” He announced with unusual cheerfulness. “Next time go easy. They throw a fit if these things get broken too often.”

“Right then.” She quickly stowed her needles away again. “I’ll put more effort into my studies on control.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He ruffled her hair. “You’ll learn other tricks, but there’s somethin satisfyin about a pure shot a energy.”

“It certainly looks impressive.” She smirked, “I feel like a great sorceress from the movies.” Eridan huffed and rolled his eyes.

“You’re miles above that. You’re real.” Rose smiled faintly. Eridan’s hand left her head as he turned to Dave, and his smile faded to a faint frown as he surveyed him.

“I’ve been meanin to ask,” Eridan started, glancing from Dave to Rose, “Are you guys sure about bein a Knight and Seer pair?”

“What?” Dave blinked and got up. “Dude, where’s this coming from? You think I can’t handle it?”

“I didn’t say that,” Eridan grunted, “I’m just worried, alright? It ain’t like you signed up for all this, exactly. Ter basically decided you were gonna be Rose’s knight, and she’s got a good head on her shoulders, but I know it was at least **partially** a power move considerin half the people at this university would jump at the chance. It’s just a big responsibility to be shoved into.”

“It’s not like Rose got to choose this Seer shit.” Dave jerked his chin at Rose, “And it’s a little late to chicken out now. What else would I do here anyways?”

“Alright, lesson time:” Eridan raised his finger, “An important skill is to know when to cut your losses and turn back. Don’t ride a sinkin ship to the bottom if there’s a lifeboat. Not that Rose is gonna be that sinkin ship, obviously, but I hope you ain’t goin along with this shit cause you feel you gotta.” He dropped his hand and scowled. “I knew a guy who thought he always knew the best and only path to take. Follow his duty, do what was best, you know what it made him? An asshole.” Rose cocked her head to the side.

“Who?”

“Anyways,” Eridan continued over her question, “You know what bein a Knight means, and you’ll be a good one accordin to Kar, so you still wanna go for it?”

Dave didn’t answer. Rose could see him thinking behind his careful mask, then he tilted his head back to face Eridan and inhaled, a sure sign of a long speech.

“Dude, I get what you’re saying and it’s cool and stuff that you wanna be all ‘your destiny is yours to control and shit’ but-” He paused, “-but I want to protect Rose. She’s my best friend and crap and I honestly **can’t** turn away from this shit now. I’ve, I’ve seen people trying to kill her. There’s no place I want to go back to anyways and I’m pretty cool with the idea of being Rose’s cool Knight keeping crappy assassins away and escorting her to go do important Seer shit. I’ll wear a cape and everything. I’m good at this stuff, with the time jumping and sword fighting. And if this is what I’ll use it for, that’s a pretty sweet deal, sweeter than using it for hedge clipping or whatever. I mean…” He glanced at Rose, “-if Rose is cool with that.” Rose blinked, then nodded quickly.

“Of course.”

Eridan nodded and crossed his arms, apparently satisfied. “Sounds like you’re into it. Alright. Just checkin.”

“What about you?” Rose asked, “I believe Karkat once mentioned you becoming my Knight.” Eridan snorted.

“I’m your guardian, not your Knight. Don’t choose a Knight who can send you to bed early.”

“I’m not sure I would be obligated to obey that once I’m 18.” Rose pointed out, but Eridan waved her off.

“I’ll always be your godfather. Even when you’re grown with kids and a spouse. Even when-” He broke off, then his fins drooped and his face melted into a sad expression. Rose coughed faintly, making him snap out of it.

“Are you ok?”

“Yeah, yeah…” He fiddled with the scarf around his neck. “Just thinkin, y’know, Seadwellers live a hell of a lot longer than humans.”

“I recall.” Rose nodded. “…What do you suppose you’ll do, once I’m gone?” His face screwed up at the prospect, but he shook his head and shrugged.

“Probably keep an eye on your kids if you get any, Lalonde lineage and stuff.”

“You don’t have any other plans?” Rose prodded him, a little concerned. He shrugged.

“Oh, I could probably find somethin to do. Don’t worry, I gave up quests a mass genocide ages ago and know better than to try pursuin that again.” He drummed his fingers against his chin. “Could always keep findin assholes to fight. Wouldn’t mind bein a teacher I guess, as long as I got students worth their salt.” He looked down at her again. “But that’s ages from now. Stuff will happen, I figure.”

“Eridan!” They looked up. Kanaya had appeared at the edge of the training grounds, cupping her hands to her mouth to call to him. “I would like to speak with you about something!”

“Comin!” He yelled back, then flicked his hand up at Rose and Dave in a quick wave. “Practice. See you guys later.” He walked off to join Kanaya. Dave came up beside Rose.

“He was joking about the genocide thing, right?” He asked. She shrugged.

“His sense of humor has always been a bit enigmatic. And morbid.”

“Cool.” He fiddled with the time pendant hanging around his neck. “It’s pretty nice of him to get me one of these too. He takes this ‘responsible for me also’ shit pretty seriously. Rose smirked.

“It appears his ‘nonexistent’ paternal instinct has overflowed onto you.”

“No way.” Dave dropped his hand away from the necklace. “That would, That’d be pretty weird.”

“Don’t deny it.” She nudged him. “I saw him ruffling your hair the other day as he passed.”

“Yeah, his hands are fuckin cold as shit.”

“I think it’s cute.”

“You would.”

 

000

 

People seemed stirred up today.

Rose glanced at the people passing her as she walked down the hall. The humans all seemed tense and uncomfortable. The trolls on the other hand almost seemed excited, or just nervous. She had seen several of them whispering amongst each other at the dining hall. When she asked Kanaya, the other had given the rather cryptic answer that some important guests had arrived.

Curiosity drove her to seek out the answer on her own. A little bit of Light magic guided her down the hallways toward the source of the commotion.

She turned the corner, then froze in her tracks.

A giant troll, towering higher than Eridan, even hunching, with familiar spiral-curved horns almost scraping the ceiling. A wild, snarling mass of black hair that hung down in a single massive matt and obscured most of his back from view. Their pants were splashed with a deep purple color she had seen before.

He turned toward her. His face was smeared with white make-up in a spotted design. He tilted his head to the side, then his face split into a wide grin. Her breath stopped and she grasped for the wands hanging in her sash.

“Eridan!” She shouted.

“Hey little sis.” She paused as the troll spoke. He had a thick, gravelly voice that nevertheless flowed smoothly, like a river of thick molasses. “Ain’t never seen you here around these parts. You got some real motherfucking semblance to Lalonde. You her kin?” He blinked slowly at her in a way that reminded her of a cat, relaxed and friendly. She realized his smile seemed less malicious all of a sudden, and while he looked similar, he was still too small to be the Prince of Rage. His frame was thin and gangly, and there were no obvious weapons on him.

“Rose??” Eridan came skittering around the other corner. “What, What’s-Oh.” The troll turned around to face him, then leaned back and spread his arms out.

“Eyyyyy!” The troll drawled out in a cordial tone. “Eridan! My Seadwellin brother!”

“Er, hi Gam-” Eridan started to pedal backwards but the other crossed the hall in just a few strides of his long legs and flung his arms right around him, burying his face into Eridan’s cape.

“Haven’t see your face in motherfucking forever, my fishbro.”

“Yeah, great. You too. Uh-” Eridan twisted his neck around call over his shoulder. “Kar!” The call for backup was tinged with a very specific kind of panic, the kind that stemmed from a social situation he didn’t know how to navigate and the knowledge that violence would not get him out it. Rose hadn’t heard **that** tone of voice since the one time a troop of girl scouts had braved the pathway up to their house.

“WHAT?” They heard Karkat’s annoyed shout answer before he came stomping over around the corner. “This better be impo-HOLY FUCK GAMZEE!”

“Eyyyy!” The tall troll finally released Eridan (who scrambled quickly up against the wall out of arm’s reach) and went striding toward Karkat, arms open. “My best bro, where have you all up and been hiding?”

Karkat was short for a troll, but compact, a little like a cannonball. And yet the tall troll scooped him up as easily as a kitten. He tucked him into a ball against his chest, wrapping his thin arms around and rocking back on his heels as if soothing a child. The baffling part was Karkat took the treatment without so much of a shriek, instead propping his chin on the other’s shoulder and tugging his fingers through the mass of hair by his nose.

“You haven’t been taking care of your hair,” Karkat complained, “It’s a rat’s nest again.” The other troll chuckled.

“Can’t help it, karbro. Just happens.”

Rose’s attention was pulled away from them as a cold hand settled on her shoulder.

“Oh my **God** ,” Eridan muttered under his breath as he gently herded her down the hall, “get a fuckin room you two. No decency, I swear.”

“Who was that?” Rose asked as she let herself be shuffled along down the hall.

“Gamzee Makara,” Eridan grunted, “Known as the Mirthful Bard. Karkat’s dumbass moirail.”

“Moirail?” Rose felt a spark of interest and peeked around him. Gamzee had let Karkat down and was ruffling his hair while the other buried his face in his shirt. “That’s…typical moirallegiance behavior?”

“Give’m some privacy.” Eridan shooed her around the corner. “Yeah, they haven’t seen each other in a while so the diamonds are flyin.” He huffed. “I hope they have the sense not to develop into a pile right in the hall.”

“Did you-” Rose gestured around the corner, “Were you like that with my mother?”

“Wha-no!” Eridan sputtered, then straightened his shoulders and fixed his glasses with a scowl. “We had some fuckin **decorum** ,” He paused and his mouth twisted, “…most a the time. 1”

“But did you,” Rose leaned over a bit to try and see down the hall, “Was it like that, in privacy?”

“You don’t wanna hear that stuff.” Eridan shook his head and moved to step past her. Rose followed him down the corridor with an annoyed expression.

“If I didn’t want to hear, I wouldn’t have asked.” She grabbed his cloak so he couldn’t leave her behind with wider strides. “I remember you two acted close, but what was it like?” Eridan sighed.

“Look, maybe one day you’ll have a moirail, and you’ll know what it’s like.”

“Are you embarrassed?”

“I ain’t embarrassed!” Eridan snarled and whirled around to face her suddenly. “I was never embarrassed to be with her.” Rose cocked an eyebrow at him for the outburst. He grimaced, then looked away, his fins dipping down.

“Sorry,” He said after a while, then looked back at her. “I, we, we were, happy. I guess, it wasn’t the most traditional moirallegiance, but we were happy and it worked for us.”

“I see.” Rose frowned, “So-”

“Hey my fishbro!” They jumped and turned around. Gamzee was peering around the corner, still wearing a lazy grin. Karkat’s fist was visible fastened to his shirt.

“What?” Eridan snapped.

“Almost forgot,” He flashed Eridan a peace sign. “That sweet royal fishsis up and accompanied me. She heard you were all up and motherfucking back so she was real gung-ho about it.

Rose saw Eridan’s shoulders rise up as if someone had just smacked him in the back with a wet rag. Gamzee’s eyes wandered around before looking back at him.

“Just thought I’d warn ya. See ya bro, I hope.” He disappeared around back around the corner.

“Who was he talking about?” Rose questioned him. Eridan turned to her, took a deep breath, then opened his mouth.

“EEEEEERIDAN!” The E to his name was dragged out in a very loud and decidedly irate tone. Eridan closed his mouth, then spun on his heel and bolted down the hall and around the corner. Rose turned her head the other way to look at who had yelled.

A tall troll in a flowing fuchsia gown swept past her. Her shiny black hair rippled down her back in perfect order, adding to the trail of her skirts like an entourage. Twin horns sprouted from the top of her head and gently curved outward. Rose just managed to catch pink-tinted fins on the side of her head, similar to Eridan’s.

The troll blew past her, came to a stop, then turned around to peer at her. Rose stood a little straighter and tucked her hands behind her.

“Hello.”

“Oh!” The troll bobbed her head back, one hand raising up in half of a wave. “Hello! Um, nice to reef you! You must be Rose! Rose Lalonde!”

“Nice to…meet you too?” Rose answered, unsure if she should repeat the pun or if it had been a language mistake. The troll giggled.

“I’m Feferi Peixes! I’d love to have a nice chat with you some tide!” Her face dropped into a stormy expression. “But right now, I have an old frond to catch up to.” Before Rose could answer she was off again, whisking down the hallway and shouting after Eridan in a language she couldn’t understand.

“Congratulations.” Rose spun around to see Terezi leaning against the wall. “You just met the heiress apparent of the Alternian empire.”

“…Alternia?” Rose pointed down the hall. “Er, she’s from Alternia? She’s the future **ruler** of Alternia?” A wry grin spread across Terezi’s face.

“Oh yes, and if she sets foot on the tiniest island there, her head will be on a pike and delivered to the **current** empress in a matter of minutes.” Terezi crossed her arms. “She resides elsewhere for the time being, gathering support for the eventual overthrowing.”

Rose’s eyebrows drew together. “You speak as if it is a certain result. Have you foreseen it?”

“Oh no,” Terezi tilted her head back and her smile widened. “I know it will happen because I am personally aiding in the effort to make it happen. So it **will** happen.”

“Ah.” Rose tilted her head toward the way they had come. “Is there a reason she would be mad at Eridan?” Terezi shrugged.

“Just for the same reason Karkat was. Disappearing with neither warning nor word.”

“I see.”

“I’m sure both of them will be busy for a bit. And so will Karkat with Gamzee.” Terezi pushed off the wall and spun around to face down the hall. She jerked her arm in a beckoning moment. “Walk with me.” She began to stride off without waiting for an answer. Rose found little reason not to go hurrying after her.

 “You’re learning quickly,” Terezi began, “Advancing even faster than expected. Dave is too, from what I hear.” She tossed her head back and curled her lip to indicate a dramatic eyeroll. “And **believe me,** Karkat will not shut up about him. He’d never admit it but he’s soooo proud.” Rose’s mouth quirked upwards.

“I see.”

“So!” Terezi’s mouth slid upwards to give her a coy smile, “Any plans?” Rose blinked, then her eyebrows creased together.

“Plans?”

“Well sure,” Terezi hummed and her cane made a rhythmic tapping sound as they walked. “You could stick around here, study, keep learning. Unless that seems…dull, to you.” Her smile widened, “We both know there’s nothing like **real** experience for you to hone your edges on.”

“Well,” Rose answered carefully, “It **is** getting a little boring here. I thought it would be nice to see more of the Incipisphere, perhaps go out on one of the tasks arranged by Skaia. But I don’t believe they would be willing to assign me anything, nor would Eridan condone it.”

“Oh **yes** ,” Terezi chuckled, “Mr. Grape is certainly the protective sort, isn’t he? He’s not letting you go anywhere without him in tow.” She hummed and tapped her chin, “Oh, and sometimes **he’s** off on his **own** missions. How troublesome.”

Rose cocked an eyebrow at her. Terezi paused in her stride, then her hand flashed out to mercilessly scrub through Rose’s hair.

“I’m sure you can figure something out,” Terezi announced, then went sauntering off again down the hall. Rose could tell she wasn’t meant to follow. She leaned against the wall instead, staring at her shoes and chewing on the words they had exchanged.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It is honestly slightly surreal for me to be writing Eridan and Feferi having like...a good relationship? Where Feferi still considers him a friend and values his company? Is this still one of my fics? (Sort of good relationship. She missed him.)
> 
> “I’m not sure I would be obligated to obey that once I’m 18.” Rose speaks as if she's actually ever obeyed him sending her to bed.
> 
> Eridan: Bedtime.  
> Rose, age 12: I am a child of the night.  
> Eridan: K whatever.
> 
> Best parenting moment of Eridan's life: Teaching Rose to blow shit up.


	8. The Land of Wind and Shade

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose and Dave tag along, meet some locals, and hear more about Roxanne Lalonde.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter I'm sorry. ;-; But...we've got cute salamanders?

Rose made a final check of her bag, nodding in satisfaction when she found her needles, clothes, journal, and other supplies all packed in. She quickly shouldered the load and walked out with her cloak draped over one arm.

Dave was waiting for her in the hallway, already wearing his cloak. He nodded to her.

“You ready?”

“Of course.” She tossed her own cloak around her, obscuring the backpack. “Let’s hurry now, do you know the plan?”

“Basically.”

“Good enough.” They set off at a brisk pace down the hallway, dodging around the other residents as they made their way to the portal room. They could hear familiar voices as they approached.

“-and try to avoid starting any confrontations that can be avoided. It would be best if you allowed me to do most if not all of the talking.”

“Jesus Kan,” Rose and Dave peeked into the doorway just in time to catch Eridan curl his lip back and roll his eyes, “You act like I’m gonna start a war just by **breathin**. I get it. I’m only comin as a bit of extra safety, even though I’m pretty sure you could handle this yourself.”

“I certainly could, but with the Condesce getting aggressive, one can never be too careful,” Kanaya retorted.

“Come on, Kan. This mission will be a walk in the park.” That was the cue.

“It will be that easy?” Rose asked innocently as she trotted in. “Could we perhaps come along then?”

“What-” Eridan looked up in surprise, then his eyes narrowed. “How long were you standing there?”

“We just came in,” She answered coolly, “We had been looking for you to see if we could go into town, but if you’re off on a bit of a mission, perhaps we could tag along?”

“No,” He answered bluntly. “I’ll be back in a few days.”

“You just said it would be a simple, safe mission, right?” She pressed, “That would make it an excellent first mission then. Isn’t it about time we try one? Both Dave and I have improved our abilities greatly. Isn’t that right, Kanaya?”

Eridan turned to shoot Kanaya a glare that stated “Don’t you dare.” Kanaya coughed faintly, then folded her hands in front of her.

“It’s true you have both advanced rapidly in your general knowledge and your magical abilities, but neither of you have made a pilgrimage to your land. We will be quite fine taking care business on our own, thank you.”

“Oh, I’m sure you could,” Rose responded quickly, “which would mean we would be in no danger. Think of it as the perfect opportunity to gain experience.”

“It **would** help them get acquainted with the nuances of missions, as well as be exposed to a new culture.” Kanaya muttered to Eridan. He glowered at her, then turned his attention back to Dave and Rose.

“F…Fine,” He grumbled, “but you gotta pack. Get some clothes, enough for-”

“For a few days, correct?” Rose swept her cloak open to reveal her backpack, making Eridan’s eyebrows shoot up. “No need to make you wait. We’re quite prepared already.”

“You-” His eyes narrowed, “You weren’t comin to ask to go into town.”

“ **You** were going to ditch us as we packed,” She shot back, “And probably return with some shiny bauble to placate us.”

“Her powers have improved dramatically,” Kanaya noted to Eridan, perhaps in an attempt to cheer him up, as he presently looked like he had swallowed a live toad.

“I don’t need the mystical powers of a Seer to read Eridan,” Rose answered wryly, “Now, shall we be off?”

“We appear to have been soundly duped.” Kanaya moved toward the portal. “Come on, Eridan. They will not come to any harm.”

Eridan grumbled something under his breath as he stomped off to join her in the circle carved into the stone floor. Rose and Dave hurried to join them.

“This shouldn’t be too startling.” Kanaya spread her hands out, “But I recommend you close your eyes.”

Rose did as she was told, and felt a soft tingling run along the surface of her body. A cold hand settled on her shoulder.

She felt a pit drop in his stomach, like she was in an airplane lifting off. The air dropped in temperature, and Rose felt a damp breeze brush against her cheek. She opened her eyes and found themselves standing amongst a colony of neon blue mushrooms, glowing in the dim light. They must have traveled to an area at nighttime. Fireflies flickered around them, and with the glowing mushrooms, she could make out a hilly landscape of dark rocks.

“The Land of Wind and Shade?” She guessed, from John’s description. “Unless, there’s another land with ‘freaky glowing blue mushrooms.’” Eridan grunted and nodded, dropping his hands off hers and Dave’s shoulders.

“The luminous fungi provide a good portion of light for this land,” Kanaya’s hand hovered over one of the caps, which came up for her waist, “Since the land is almost always covered by the thick cloud cover.”

“Gloomy place,” Eridan grunted and kicked at a rock. “Let’s finish our business quickly.”

“What is our business anyways?” Dave poked one of the mushrooms. Eridan scowled at him.

“Why’d you come if you don’t even know?”

“For the adventure, duh. I’m like one of those dumb bards in RPG games, getting an erection at the mention of an adventure, and everyone else just has to stand their awkwardly and pretend they don’t see my bard dong under all that colorful whimsical clothing and-”

“This way.” Kanaya interrupted him, gesturing down the pathway. The followed her down the slope, careful of the rocky path and smaller mushrooms sprouting by their feet. Out of the shadows, Rose caught sight of some smallish structures up ahead.

They stepped into a small clearing in the cliffs, and Rose saw the structures were tube-shaped, seemingly made of metal, with grass roofs covering them. They had obviously entered some kind of village.

“Oh boy oh boy oh boy!” Her attention was drawn to a small figure running toward them with jerky, energetic strides. The dim light of the mushrooms glinted off their shiny golden skin, and Rose’s eyebrows climbed as she observed that they were most definitely not human.

“Yo,” Dave leaned over to whisper in her ear, “Are my shades fucking with me or are we looking at a giant talking salamander.”

“Don’t be rude,” Rose muttered back, nudging him with her elbow.

“Oh boy!” The salamander continued on over their conversation, jumping up and down with astounding energy. “You must be the officials of Skaia. Welcome, welcome!”

“Hello.” Kanaya brought one hand up to her chest and bowed. She then not-so-subtly kicked Eridan in the ankle so he made a half-hearted attempt at copying her. “We are indeed from Skaia. My name is Kanaya Maryam, Level 5 magician of Space. We have come to investigate the issues with the organ?”

“Of course of course of course!” The salamander hopped back, then blew an absolutely massive spit-bubble out of their mouth. “It’s been completely clogged up! We’re in quite a pickle! It’s this way, will all four of you be going?”

“No,” Eridan answered immediately, then turned to glare down at Dave and Rose. “You two stay here. Don’t leave the village or it’ll take forever to find ya.” Rose scowled. “Don’t give me that look. This is basically a glorified janitor service. Go, talk to the locals or somethin, get a feel for the uh,” He paused, then his eyes flickered around the area and he coughed faintly. “-culture. We’ll be back in a while.”

“I don’t see why-” Rose’s retort was interrupted by a high-pitched squeal.

“OHMYGODOHMYGODOHMYGOD!!!” The salamander danced from foot to foot as they gaped at Rose. “IS THAT LADY LALONDE?! **THE** LADY LALONDE??? THE LADY LALONDE AND HER SEADWELLER COMPANION!? OH MY SHE’S SMALLER THAN I THOUGHT BUT THIS IS INCREDIBLE-”

“My name is Rose Lalonde.” Rose raised a hand to attempt to calm them. “I, er, the daughter of Roxanne Lalonde?”

“OHHHHH!!” The salamander nodded enthusiastically. “BOY THAT MAKES A LOT MORE SENSE! WHAT AN HONOR TO MEET YOU MISS!” They blew another, larger bubble out of their mouth, popping it with a loud *glub.*

“I believe Eridan and I can find our way on our own.” Kanaya announced, “Perhaps you could take dear Rose and Dave on a tour then?”

“OH!!!” The Salamander gasped. “I would LOVE TO!! Please right this way Miss Rose and uh, Dave!”

Eridan shot Rose a sly look as he and Kanaya hurried off. Rose managed a dark glower back before they were dragged off by the exuberant salamander.

The tiny size of the village, combined with their guide’s fast talking and running, made the tour last all of five minutes. They did meet some more salamanders, who were all equally enthused to meet Rose, and buzzed around her with excitement.

“So…” Rose sat down on a nearby boulder, “Did my mother come to this village at some point? Did you meet her?”

“Oh no!” The salamander she was talking to shook their head violently. “She never graced this village with her presence, though we consider ourselves lucky enough to be visited by her dear friend and her very own child! Glub!” They popped another bubble happily. “If I may ask, what was she like?”

“She was,” Rose tilted her head back, thinking. “Quite cheerful. A little silly, but very caring.”

“Really?!” The salamander gasped. “Goodness me! I never expected the renowned Miss Lalonde to be, to be **silly** of all things!”

“Oh, really?” Rose leaned in, “What is your image of her?”

“Well…” The salamander plopped down on the ground. “From the stories told, she was quite mysterious! She would disappear and reappear wherever she was needed! Just like the shadows or the flickering of a firefly! Her heroic feats were amazing! But not even the tiniest salamander was below her aid.” They paused, then sniveled a bit. “A true shame, she was taken so before her time. I would have loved to meet her.”

“Oh.” Rose clasped her hands together tightly. “Yes, it is indeed.” She forced a smile and extended a hand out at them. “Well, I may not be my mother, but if it helps, I’m Rose Lalonde and pleased to meet you.” The Salamander squealed with happiness and leapt up to grasp her hand with two tiny, slightly clammy hands of their own.

“A pleasure! A true pleasure Miss Lalonde and Sir Strider!”

“Huh?” Dave looked up as the salamander hopped over to grab his hand as well.

“You’re obviously a stunning choice for Miss Lalonde!” They beamed up at him. “I can’t wait to hear of your exploits and be able to tell everyone I met you two!”

“Uh,” Dave nodded, “Cool, pal.” He awkwardly reached over with his other arm to pet the salamander on the head. “And don’t worry. I’ll keep Miss Lalonde out of trouble.” Rose smiled faintly.

They spent the next few hours wandering around the village, examining the mushroom patches the salamanders were farming, and the tube-like houses. They bought some mushroom stew (after Rose had managed to use her powers and predict that they were fit for human consumption) with the boondollars Eridan had given them. Finishing the bowl, Rose heard familiar voices approaching from the other side of the house they were sitting against.

“It’s not fuckin funny, Kan.”

“I never said it was.”

“You’ve had that goddamn smirk the entire way back.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Yes you do.”

“Perhaps you did not clean all the oil of your glasses?”

“You’re still doin it!”

Kanaya and Eridan rounded the corner, and Rose resisted a snicker. Eridan was covered head to toe in some kind of black gunk. He scowled at her, arms hanging away from his sides.

“Don’t say anythin.”

“What the fuck happened to you?” Dave asked for her, walking over to join them. Eridan sighed.

“I got a pipeful a fuckin oil dumped on me.” He grimaced and tried to wipe a smear off his cheek, but ended up getting more from on his hand.

“It would seem the pipes are more clogged than we had anticipated,” Kanaya explained with an amused note, “Eridan thought to simply blast some magic through one and well, it retaliated.”

“Shut up, Kan. I didn’t hear you sayin it was a bad idea. This is ridiculous,” Eridan complained and shed his cloak, “Didn’t Egbert **just** clear this place out a few weeks ago?”

“I believe he did.” Kanaya hummed and tapped her nails against her chin. “How strange. I wonder what caused such a backup so fast.”

“Yeah, you keep wonderin.” Eridan pressed his hands together in front of his chest. “You two, stand back.”

Rose and Dave moved away at his command, and Eridan’s eyes turned a solid milky white. His eyebrows drew together in concentration and his entire body began to glow. Rose watched with interest, then jumped back as he burst into flames. The fire died as abruptly as it had begun, and Eridan swept his arms out, free of oil.

“That’s better,” He declared. Kanaya pursed her lips.

“You realize you could have caught the surroundings on fire as well. Oil is omnipresent here.”

“I was careful.”

“Careful about not damaging your clothes perhaps.” He huffed and rolled his eyes.

“You of all people would understand, wouldn’t ya?”

“Eridan, if it were up to me those clothes would have burned long ago.”

“Wow, are you done bein a rude-ass tart?”

Rose and Dave shot each other some entertained looks, which Eridan caught.

“Ok, enough a that.” He shooed them off toward one of the buildings. “We’re stayin there, right?”

“How was the tour?” Kanaya asked as they entered one of the pipe-like buildings. Rose shrugged.

“Well enough. Not much to see here. The salamanders were all quite enamored with my mother.”

“Oh dear,” Kanaya frowned and set her bag down on a roughly-crafted table. “I hope they didn’t overwhelm you.”

“It was fine.” Rose sat down against the wall, since there appeared to be no chairs. “It was a little strange, to find even a random village having heard of her.” She looked up at Eridan. “They didn’t seem to recognize you at first, but they mistook me for my mother?” He shrugged.

“Apparently, you look a lot like her. Especially your eyes.” Kanaya cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Apparently?” He shrugged again, looking a little embarrassed.

“I still think all humans are kinda hard to tell apart sometimes.” Kanaya rolled her eyes, and Eridan continued hastily. “Anyways, as for me, they probably don’t see many seadwellers. And while people know one traveled with Rox, I don’t show up in a lot of pictures.” Rose blinked.

“Why not? You aren’t quite the kind of person to shy away from attention.”

“She knows you well,” Kanaya observed, and got a nasty glare for it.

“Answer’s simple on that,” He grunted, “People didn’t like me. Wanted pictures of Rox alone.”

“You are exaggerating,” Kanaya told him gently. “…Somewhat.”

“It’s not like I care what a bunch a random people think.” He ran some white fire over his cloak to burn off the oil. “Rox could stand me and she didn’t let any other opinions get in the way a that.”

“The salamanders seem to like you well enough,” Rose offered. Eridan scowled.

“Oh well, thank **God** for that,” He swept his cloak back around him. “I’d hate to be disliked by 20 or so amphibians out in a village in the middle of nowhere.”

“Hush,” Kanaya swatted at his arm, “You’re taking advantage of their kind and blithe nature.”

“Pah, they haven’t **seen** takin advantage-”

“Well then,” Rose interrupted him, “It seems to have been an exciting day, at least for you two.”

“Guess you could call it that,” Eridan muttered.

“The mushroom stew is quite good,” She continued, “If you’re looking for dinner.” His face screwed up at the concept.

“Eugh, there **has** to be somethin besides mushrooms to eat here.”

“Well,” Kanaya’s gaze flickered over to him, “I would warn you not to ruminate too long on meal choices. It gives me time to as well.” There was something about the way she said that last sentence that had Eridan giving her a dirty look, then marching away out the door.

“Just c’mon, Kan. I’ll hunt somethin myself if I have to.”

“Very well,” Kanaya answered cheerfully as she continued after him. Once they were gone, Dave learned over toward Rose.

“Any idea what she was getting at?”

“Not a clue.” Rose murmured back.

Once they returned, they passed the evening with some extra schooling. Eridan taught Rose a few more tricks with her Light magic, and she even picked up a few combat moves from Dave.

“It’s getting late,” Dave said suddenly, lowering his fighting stance. Rose glanced out the window, but the dim surroundings didn’t appear any darker to her.

Kanaya pulled her phone out and glanced at the screen, “Dave is right,” She declared, “We best be turning in for the night. It will be a busy day tomorrow.” Eridan made a sour face at that and rubbed at his arm, as if wiping off more imaginary oil.

There were no beds, so they all unrolled their sleeping bags in separate areas of the room. Rose and Dave set theirs up under a window together, and after a short goodnight all around, the lights went out.

Rose stared out at the window. What she thought were stars at first, she realized were actually fireflies, floating lazily around the sky. She watched their soothing dance for a while, thinking back on her new life. It was certainly more interesting. She could hardly imagine being back at the old world, rushing to school, studying for chemistry tests. She wondered what the people back in her old town thought had happened. Had Eridan bothered to report to anyone that they left? Or had he just figured it would be fine that everyone believed them dead?

“You awake?” Dave muttered to her in a low voice, and Rose hummed an affirmative.

“Trouble sleeping?”

“Nah, not really, just felt like chilling for a while.”

“In a sleeping bag.”

“Yep.”

“Truly the epitome of cool.”

“A+ deduction, Lalonde. Glad to see my teachings have no gone to waste.”

They were silent for about a minute more. Rose continued to watch the drifting fireflies, until Dave spoke again.

“It’s so quiet.”

“The wind should be blowing,” Rose murmured, “In the Land of Wind and Shade it blows almost perpetually. Since it’s stopped, the pipes must be blocked up quite badly.”

“Huh.”

“We may be here for a while.”

“Huh.” She could see Dave shift his head in the darkness. He was quiet for a while more, then spoke up. “That’s cool. I mean, I don’t mind that. It’s, kind of nice here.”

“Is it?” She mumbled back, trying to stifle a yawn.

“Yeah I mean, it’s quiet, and chill, the salamanders here are cool.”

“I suppose.” Rose pulled the extra blanket a bit further up. “We can explore more tomorrow. Perhaps help that farmer harvest his mushrooms.”

“Cool.”

“Goodnight, Dave.”

“Night.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to say I love writing Eridan and Kanaya in a relaxed needling relationship. If SaS or Feathers Eridan had called Kanaya a "rude ass tart" he would have lost one if not many body parts.


	9. Eligible

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a new magician is born, an offer is given, and a sword is bought.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soooorrryyyyyy this is laaaaate next chapter will be on Monday as usual as long as internet works.

Rose was awoken but a loud crash. She sat up, blinking in confusion. Eridan and Kanaya were gone. Dave was crouched up on his blankets in his pajamas, obviously having just sprung up a moment before.

“What was that?” He asked.

“It was…” Rose closed her eyes and rubbed her bed-mussed hair. She pulled at her Light for an answer. “A, A cave-in. A cave system a little ways away from the village collapsed.”

“…Huh.” He settled down again. “Is that normal?”

“It probably happens occasionally.” Rose got up and checked the time. “It would appear Eridan and Kanaya have left to investigate the pipes again. Does breakfast interest you?”

“Hell yes.” Dave grabbed his bag and dragged it toward him.

They got dressed and walked out into the main square to find something akin to pandemonium. Salamanders were running left, right, and in circles, shouting at each other and themselves.

“Er,” Rose glanced around, trying to get someone’s attention, “Pardon, what-”

“THE CAVE!” The nearest salamander shrieked, making them jump. “THE CAVE HAS COLLAPSED!! THIS IS AWFUL THIS IS TERRIBLE THIS IS, THIS IS HORRIBLE!”

“Calm down,” Rose walked over and knelt down in front of them, “Which cave? What was inside?”

“Oh, oh…” The salamander hopped around a bit in worry, “It’s the cave just outside of town. It is the **perfect** place to mine for our stone tablets! It will take **ages** to dig it out!” Rose frowned.

“Was anyone inside?”

“Um…” The salamander blew an anxious spit bubble. “I-I’m not sure. I think I saw Bubbles heading up the path that way earlier but…”

Rose’s eyebrows drew together and she knelt down. “One moment,” She said, then closed her eyes. She clasped the pendant around her neck and used it as a focal point, reaching outward for the Light.

She opened her eyes. “Dave,” She said, “A salamander is trapped in the cave. They are alive, but the cave is unstable.”

“Well shit.” Dave jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “Should we get-”

“No time.” Rose got to her feet. “We need to go.”

“Cool.”

Rose led the way, running down the pathway and letting the Light guide her. They found themselves at a large cave, the yawning entrance beckoning them in.

“The cave in is a little farther back,” Rose raised on hand and a glowing ball of light appeared above her palm. “Walk carefully. I’ll keep my senses ready for predicting any more cave ins. If there is one, I’ll give the signal and you teleport us out?”

“Got it.”

“Well then,” Rose began to walk into the cave, alert for any odd noises or feelings of dread.

It wasn’t long before they found the cave in, rocks piled up to the ceiling. Rose wrinkled her nose.

“Bubbles?” She called out, but only her own voice echoed back at her. She grabbed ahold of one of the medium-sized rocks and heaved, but it hardly budged. She scowled and backed away, then drew her needles out. “Stand back,” She said. Dave quickly took several steps away on her command.

“Careful.”

“Of course.”

Needles in hand, she spread her arms wide, then pointed them together in front of her and pushed her power outward. The needles happily reacted and sent a blast of light into the rocks. There was a spray of gravel and the rocks tumbled down over themselves.  When things settled down again, there was a small crevice near the top, just large enough for a teenager to crawl through.

“Any idea how Eridan’s gonna react to this?” Dave asked as he followed her up the rocks.

“So long as we come out unscathed, I doubt any veins will pop.” She answered with a casual air.

“And if we don’t?”

“We’re totally grounded, if we’re still alive.”

“Cool.”

Rose squeezed through the hole and started to skitter down the over side when Dave cleared his throat behind her. She turned around, and in the glow over her light could see Dave not quite managing to squeeze his way through. She cocked an eyebrow at him.

“Honestly? You’re thinner than I am.”

“Cool it, Lalonde.”

She climbed back up and grabbed his wrists, then pulled. Dave grunted, but remained in place. Rose braced one foot on the side of the rocks and heaved once more.

Dave lurched forward and Rose’s grip loosened in surprise. She lost her footing and tipped over, barely managing to fold her arms around her head and twist around so she fell halfway decently. The light went out as she went rolling down the hill. She came to a stop sore and battered. Dave’s voice called down from above her.

“Rose? Rose?? Shit, I can’t see shit. I’m blind as a fucking bat that just stared at the sun for like eight fucking hours before squeezing lemons in its little bat eyes and-”

“I’m fine, Dave.” She carefully rolled over. Nothing seemed broken. She raised one palm up and created another light. Dave had wriggled his way through the gap and was coming down to meet her. A faint sound reached her and her eyes widened.

“Dave, stop,” She commanded. Dave froze.

“…What?”

“I heard something.” Rose tilted her head to the side and closed her eyes. Very softly, the sound of weeping drifted down the cave to her.

“Bubbles?” She called out and pushed herself to her feet. She began to walk toward the sound, calling as she went. “Bubbles? Is that you?”

The sound of shifting stones above them made them stop and tense. After a few seconds, no further sounds were heard. Rose started forward again at a quicker pace, calling louder, more urgently.

A small form appeared out of the darkness, a salamander, curled up tight and trembling. Relief bloomed up in Rose’s chest.

“Bubbles,” She called out, and the salamander’s head snapped up. They blinked, then blinked again, seeming unsure if the sight before them could possibly be real. Finally, they made some cross between a gasp and a hiccup.

“M-Miss Lalonde?” Rose offered a faint smile and nodded.

“We’ve been looking for you. Let’s get you back-”

She froze as a heavy rumbling sounded above them, followed by the sound of shifting and cracking rocks. Dave shouted a warning and started forward.

Without thinking, Rose shoved Dave back, then dove forward. She slung one arm around Bubbles and twisted as she fell, shielding Bubbles with her body while at the same time hurling all her power into firing a blast of light upward with her other hand. She shut her eyes against the bright light and curled up tight, bracing for whatever would happen next.

Terrifying crashes landed all around them and the ground shook as Rose waited, heart banging against her chest, for the singular boulder that would descend to crush them both. It went on for several, infinite seconds before everything went quiet and still, save for a few rolling pebbles, then, Dave’s voice called out to them, muffled somewhat.

“Rose! Rose holy SHIT please say something. Tell me you’re alive or you’re ok or let’s hear some pretentious wizard metadialogue for fuck’s sake-”

Rose opened one eye and was surprised to find sunlight shining down on them. She sat up and realized she had blown a hole right out of the mine above them. It looked like the falling rocks had blocked Dave off, but from his shouting, he sounded alright.

“Well then,” She muttered, then promptly fainted.

She fell into darkness, cool and smooth. All around her thrummed a deep, heavy humming too low to hear, she could only feel it.

Laughter.

She awoke to Dave shaking her shoulders and calling her name. She blinked rapidly, then pushed herself up.

“Jesus Rose, you scared the crap out of me.”

“Sorry,” Rose glanced around until she found Bubbles standing nearby. “Are you alright, Bubbles?” Bubbles sat staring up at her, mouth open and eyes wide. Slowly, they closed their mouth, then their lips trembled, and they burst into tears.

“I’m sorry!” They squealed, “I’m so sorry Miss Lalonde! I just really wanted a cloak!” Rose blinked down at them.

“A…cloak?”

“Y-Yeah.” The salamander fell back on its butt, sniveling a little. “In the village, what we do is, if we want something, we carve it into a tablet and send it down the pipes, with the hope that it will travel to someone else and they’ll fulfill the wish. I’ve always wanted to be a great magician, like your mother or Mr. Ampora! I wanted to have a cloak so bad, I’ve been up here for days carving tablets. And now I’ve caused you so much trouble! Making you come out here to save me!”

“There’s no need to apologize,” Rose answered gently, “I’m just glad you’re ok. I’m afraid a cloak won’t make you a powerful magician, and it certainly isn’t worth risking your life for.” The salamander sniffed again and nodded.

“I know…”

Rose’s eyes softened and a faint smile played on her lips. “How about this:” She unclasped her own cloak, then swung it around to wrap it around the salamander. It was a little big, so she improvised a hood and tied it around with her purple scarf. “I dub thee-” She rested her hand on their head. “-Bubbles von…salamancer. Magician in training. Godspeed you on your studies.” Bubbles gave a long, drawn out gasp of awe, then squealed and began to hop around.

“This is amazing!” Bubbles swung around in the cloak, “This is so so flipping glubbing amazing! Thank you! Thank you!!” They beamed up at her. “Now I can stop throwing all those tablets down the pipes! They were really starting the pile up!” Rose’s smile vanished.

“Wait, come again?”

 

000

 

“For fuck’s sake!” Eridan growled as he dumped another armload of stone slabs onto the table. Kanaya leaned over to study them.

“Well, they were certainly an industrious little fellow.”

“Industrious and **dense**.” Eridan grumbled and shoved one of the piles over at her. “If the first one got stuck why was their first plan to drop another down there!? Who even keeps a mail system like this!?”

“Said the man who was baffled by the concept of packing peanuts,” Rose murmured. Eridan shot her a glare.

“I wish Rox had never told you about that.” Rose only smiled while Dave coughed to hide a smirk.

“If this was the cause of the back-up,” Kanaya cut in, “It would appear our business here is done.”

“Thank God.” Eridan grabbed his cloak and pulled it around himself again. “I needed to get outta here yesterday.”

They packed up quickly and, after bidding goodbye to the village and Rose giving Bubbles a final pat on the head, headed out down the path to the portal.

“Well then,” Kanaya began, “It would seem Rose was quite helpful after all on this mission.” Eridan scowled at Kanaya.

“Don’t encourage her. Next she’s gonna wanna be sailin out to take on the Condesce.” A light smile played on Rose’s lips as she trotted after him.

“Well, I wouldn’t say-” She broke off into a sharp frown and slowed her pace. The others as well, came to a stop at the new obstacle in the road.

A troll leaned against a stone outcropping with his arms crossed, blocking the way between them and the portal. He wore a black vest and pants, with cobalt trimming. A single badge with a fuchsia symbol was pinned to his breast.

Eridan and Kanaya immediately moved to stand in front of Rose and Dave, and Eridan’s hand settled on Rose’s shoulder. Kanaya addressed the stranger coldly, “What is your business here?”

The troll answered with a string of interesting syllables that Rose couldn’t make sense of. Kanaya pursed her lips.

“It would be polite of you to speak in a language everyone present could understand.” The troll’s mouth curved down. There was a tense moment, then the troll spat on the ground and spoke in English.

“I said my business ain’t to fight. And it ain’t to talk to you, Jadeblood, or the humans.”

“What do you want?” Eridan growled. At that, the troll’s face split into a wide grin.

“I’m here to talk to you, Seadweller. Ye killed the Condesce’s general. Ye know what that makes you?”

“Awesome?” Dave suggested. The troll turned to glare down at him.

“Hold yer verbal flap, ye bleached naked monkey. It makes him **eligible**.” He looked back at Eridan with a sneer. “She’s been watchin ye, personally. Knows all about your relationship and adventures with the senior Lalonde.” The troll grinned. His teeth were sharp and jagged, broken in some places. “She’s **impressed**. You’ve proven yourself.” Eridan didn’t respond. The troll’s eyes sharpened as he looked Eridan over. “You’re a deep violet, royalty among royalty. Those in Alternia will recognize that.” He flicked his hand out toward Eridan. “As a general with your blood, you could build yourself up influence that’d be unrivaled only by Her Imperious Condescension herself.” The troll’s lip curled back, “And **surely** you would not be sent to clean the gunk out of a salamander’s pipes.” He looked down to study Rose, who tensed. “I’m sure you’d have a say in the Seer’s wellbein too, of course. Her Imperiousness can be prone to doting.”

Rose felt a second hand settle very lightly on her shoulder. Kanaya’s, from the warmth. Dave’s hand was still wrapped tight in hers.

“You done?” Eridan snapped. Rose peeked up at him. His fins were pinned back and his eyes hostile. “I’m followin what Rox wanted for her offspring, and I got my own motivations for not wantin anythin to do with the Condesce.” The troll’s eyebrows drew together in confusion, then shot upwards.

“Yer refusin.” His voice was stunned in disbelief. Eridan jerked his chin up.

“I got better things to do.”

“Yer refusin.” Indignation joined the disbelief in his tone. Rose took a step back and her hand reached up for her wands. The troll began to speak faster, louder, as his shoulders rose in anger. “Yer refusin. Yer throwin your life away cause a the wishes of a dead moirail. A dead **human** who was too stupid to-” Eridan snarled and Rose felt his hand begin to leave her shoulder as he started forward, other hand raised in a clawed position.

The dim pathway was suddenly flooded with light. Rose blinked a few times while the troll shouted and staggered away. His face was twisted into an expression of both horror and awe, and the way he threw his arms up made it seem like he was trying to ward something off besides the light. Rose looked around, and her eyes went wide when she found the source of the light.

“We have received your message,” Kanaya told the troll smoothly. A pure white light shone from her skin with enough intensity it was hard to look at her directly. “We have given our answer. Now, we will depart, and I suggest you not attempt to stop us.” She curled her lip back, and Rose realized that her incisors were much sharper than any of the other trolls, sharper even than Eridan’s shark-like mouthful.

The troll shuddered and made some unrecognizable gesture in the air. He looked like he was about to faint, or at least relieve himself on the spot. Eridan offered his own snarl, but it was superfluous at this point. Rather than go past them or to the portal, the troll choose instead to scuttle off the path, sliding down a rocky ridge with an urgency that sent stones flying.

“…Should I follow’im?” Eridan asked.

“I don’t think there’s any need,” Kanaya answered. The glow faded from her skin until they were back to the soft glow of the mushrooms. “I doubt he’s going to cause any trouble.”

“Was that a form of magic?” Rose asked, “The…” She gestured to her face. Kanaya offered a faint smile.

“Not quite. Rather, a personal condition,” Her face sunk into a more serious expression, “If you don’t mind, I would rather you not mention it to anyone, even at Skaia.”

“Uh, yeah, no problem.” Dave banged his fist against his chest in promise. “Especially since after seeing that look you gave that guy, I’m pretty sure you might eat me.”

Eridan snorted. “She ain’t gonna **eat** ya, Dave.” He made a casual gesture toward Kanaya, “I’d get to her first before she could try.”

“That’s quite a rude thing to say regarding someone who just saved you from a potentially embarrassing bloodshed,” Kanaya remarked as she continued on her way down the path, “And you already tried to kill me once. Do you recall how that went for you?”

“What happened?” Rose asked. Eridan just coughed uncomfortably, then hurried off after Kanaya.

“C’mon you two, let’s get outta this goddamn land.”

They hurried after his long strides, and Rose managed to fall into step with him.

“Is there going to be some sort of retribution to this encounter?” Rose asked. Eridan shrugged.

“Probably not this little spat, but tensions certainly ain’t goin down anytime soon. The Condesce’s probably not gonna be sendin any nice invitations after this.”

“Are you worried?” She asked softly. Eridan’s mouth twisted, then he shook his head.

“The Condesce’s days are numbered,” He growled as they headed up the hill to the portal. “Fef’ll be on the throne soon enough.” Eridan looked down at her, and gave what she had learned was his attempt at a comforting smile. “Whatever bullshit happens next, I’m not lettin them get to you, ok?” Rose smirked and ran her thumb over one of her wands.

“Very well, but do save me some of the carnage, yes?” Eridan’s eyes brightened and he chuckled, reaching over to ruffle her hair.

“That’s the spirit. Let’s pick up the pace so Kan doesn’t leave us behind.”

 

000

 

“How’s this?” Rose held up the pattern of symbols she had written for Kanaya to see. Kanaya studied them carefully, then nodded.

“You have the wrong conjugation here.” She tapped one of the words, “But altogether, you are mastering Alternian at an astonishing pace.” Rose smiled faintly, then glanced over at Dave, who was scribbling away at his own paper.

“How are you doing?” She asked and he looked up, then straightened. He held up his paper so both of them could see the impressive number of dicks he had scrawled across it.

“It’s a fucking masterpiece,” He declared. Kanaya wrinkled her nose while Rose struggled to keep a straight face.

“Charming,” Kanaya remarked.

“You know what these are, right?” Dave pointed at one of them, “Do they teach human anatomy in troll school? Like-”

“I know what they are, Dave.”

“Cool.”

“You’ll have to excuse Dave,” Rose rested her chin on the top of her hands, “He’s always had an abnormal obsession with the phallic.”

“Claims the flighty broad that spent half of 6th grade writing poetry to ‘unseat Sappho’,” Dave shot back. Rose jabbed at him with her pencil, and he retaliated by lobbing his at her.

Kanaya smiled faintly, but it faded as she glanced out the window, seeming to fall into deep thought.

“Are you thinking of the troll we met?” Rose guessed. Kanaya blinked, then nodded.

“The spherical sports orb has landed securely in the Condesce’s square of land now,” She told them, “Eridan and I both agreed it would be best to report the interaction, but aside from a few of the higher authorities, it hasn’t spread to the rest of Skaia.” Rose frowned, her eyes sharpening just a little.

“Would it cause a stir if they heard of it?”

“Perhaps, perhaps not.” Kanaya moved over and closed the window against the breeze, “Any troll in the area could tell you, the Condesce does not extend invitations twice, especially after so rude a rejection. As for the humans, it may concern a few to know about the recruitment attempt.” Rose nodded and drummed her pencil against the desk.

“I see.”

“I wouldn’t worry,” Kanaya continued in a brisk tone. “The Condesce may be a rising threat, but the internal wariness of Skaia should be negligible.”

“Even with the mark on Eridan’s arm?” Rose mentioned casually. Kanaya’s mouth took a sharp turn downward.

“How much do you know about that mark?” Rose straightened up at the sudden question.

“Not much,” She answered, “He wouldn’t tell me anything about it. Cora mentioned Grimdark. It’s a form of magic, I assume. Hope?”

“No,” Kanaya shook her head, “It is not a form of magic connected to any of the 12 Aspects. It is…not a form of magic I would recommend looking into.”

“Did you know Eridan had it?”

“I did not.” Kanaya turned back to the terms she had written on the board, “Perhaps we should continue with the lesson.” Her tone of voice assured them it was more of a demand than a suggestion. Rose’s lips made a tense line, but she ducked her head and followed along with the instruction.

 

000

 

“This is so past time not even your temporal shenanigans will fix it,” Karkat grumbled as he led Dave down the street, “But late as Hell is better than never, I guess.”

“It’s not a huge deal,” Dave answered with a shrug, “The swords at the university worked fine.”

“Kar’s right, if overdramatic,” Eridan grunted as he followed behind, “Your weapon a choice is important. It takes a while to get to know a weapon, and you gotta choose the right one. You’re trusting that thing with your life and the life a whoever you wanna protect. I think gettin somethin custom made would be better-”

“Shut up, Eridan. You’re only coming because you’re paying.” Karkat glanced over his shoulder to glare at Rose. “And she’s just here because she is, I guess.”

“I’d never miss such a monumental moment for Dave,” She answered cheerfully.

“It’s not a monumental moment,” Dave muttered, “We’ve got a million shitty swords at home and they’re not anything special. Except Bro’s, I guess.”

“Stop mumbling, we’re here.” Karkat pointed to the sign above the shop they had stopped at. Eridan wrinkled his nose.

“This dump?”

“Shut up, your Highness. This place is top quality.” Karkat barged in before the other could retort. “Hey Zahhak!”

They followed him in. The shop was warm, with an array of different weapons hanging off the walls. Rose stepped gingerly around an array of pikes and examined a row of heavy bows.

A troll appeared from another doorway. He wore his long hair tied back in a ponytail, and had a faint sheen of sweat from work. One of his horns was broken but the other curved upwards in an arrow shape. He looked over at the group and bowed deeply.

“Seadweller, an honor to see you are well.”

“Hi Eq.” Eridan raised a hand in greeting, then glanced down at the humans. “Uh, this is Rose Lalonde, Rox’s kid, and her friend, Dave.” He nodded to the troll. “Guys, Equius Zahhak.”

“Greetings,” Equius grunted, “I will not shake your hand, for your own safety.”

“We’re here for a sword,” Karkat announced, jerking a thumb at Dave. “For him.” Equius turned to Dave and looked him over with a frown.

“He is rather small and frail-looking. Perhaps a dagger might be easier.”

“Shut up. Dave’s got the strength and training for a sword. Just sell us some crap already.”

“Very well.” Equius waved to a corner of the store. “Swords are over there, both one-handed and double-handed. Feel free to handle the goods to find which weight fits for you.”

“You sure?” Dave wandered over, hands dug into his pockets. “Is there a ‘break it, buy it’ policy?”

“Every item in this store is built with extreme durability,” Equius grunted, “You will not be able to break them.”

“Whatever you say, man.” Despite the assurance, Rose noticed Dave carried himself very carefully as he moved around the weapons, though he made a show of nonchalance. She didn’t blame him; being around so many sharp objects was making her uneasy as well.

They made it to the swords and Dave picked up the first one he got close to, hefting it a bit.

“Ok, this one.”

“For fuck’s sake,” Karkat growled, “At least **pretend** to think about it.”

“Fine, fine.” He dropped the sword and continued around the wares. His hand hovered over the eastern-styled katanas before he moved on to a set of claymores.

“What do you think?” Karkat prompted after he had stared at the blades for about a minute.

“What do you mean, what do I think?” Dave answered without turning around. “It’s all just a bunch of swords.” Rose frowned, then tugged at Eridan’s cape. He looked down with a quizzical expression and she jerked her head over at Karkat and Equius. His eyes lit up in realization and he nodded.

“Hey Kar,” Eridan grabbed the other’s cloak, earning a surprised growl and smack on the arm. “Let’s check out the sickles. Yours is lookin worn.”

“Excuse me? Your **bulge** is wor-”

“Come on, let’s look. Eq come with us.” Equius obediently followed them off to some other part of the store. Rose came up to Dave.

“Are you ok?” She asked. Dave sighed and ran a hand through his hair.

“Yeah, this place is making me edgy as Hell, though. Think you can use your Seer powers to find me whatever sword would work?”

“Well I could try.” She looked around, “Er, what are you looking for?”

“Jesus, you think I know?”

“I don’t have much knowledge of swords.” She studied the blades. “What attributes do you want? What would be best for its purpose?”

“It’s purpose is to slice shit up. Pretty sure all of these fill that criteria.”

“You’re being rather difficult,” Rose scolded him gently, then went quiet with thought. “…Do you recall in the safehouse, when you grabbed the gun off the wall?”

“Yeah?”

“What was your purpose in that moment?”

“Wasn’t it obvious?”

“It wasn’t to shoot Eridan.”

“Well, it kinda was.” Dave rubbed the back of his head, “I mean, not that I **wanted** to shoot him. It was, just in case.”

“What was your motivation?”

“Protection,” Dave stared at the blades hanging on the wall, “in case shit got ugly.”

“Well that’s what the sword would be for.”

He finally turned to face her. “Ok, so what?” She shrugged.

“I’m simply saying what feels right in the moment. Is it helping?” His head tilted down and his lips pursed in thought.

“…Ok, I think I know what you’re saying. I’m here to find something to protect us with.” He looked around the array with new energy, and eventually walked over to a sword resting in a stand by the corner. He lifted it up in both hands. It had a wide blade, and a white sheen to it. He tried a few moves with it, stepping back and forward and flicking it around. He nodded and lowered the blade.

“This’ll work.”

They went and found the trolls, who were in a heated argument over weapon style. Once the matter had been dropped Eridan bought the sword, along with a couple of sickles. Equius handed it to Dave in a scabbard along with a maintenance kit.

“Excuse me.” Rose realized she was being addressed and looked up. Equius extended a hand out to her, palm up. “If I may?” Eridan’s mouth snapped open to protest but Karkat stomped down on his foot, turning it into a mass of swearing and a low grumble that Equius better be careful. Rose gingerly reached forward and placed her hand over his. He made no attempt to clasp it, but simply lifted it slightly before withdrawing his hand.

“I am a magician of Void, as your mother was,” He grunted, “I respected her power deeply.”

“Ah.” Rose discreetly wiped her hand down on her skirt. “I see.” Equius nodded to her.

“I wish you luck in your studies.”

“Thank you.”

The fresh air was comforting after the stuffy shop. Dave buckled the sword to his waist, patting it a little to make sure it was snug.

“Well that wasn’t **too** painful,” Karkat grumbled, earning a flick in the ear from Eridan.

“Shut up Kar, you got free sickles.”

“I didn’t get anything,” Roses piped up.

“You’ve got your wands already,” Eridan answered, “You don’t need a sword.”

“How about ice cream?”

“Fine.”

 

000

 

Dave delivered a wide slash into the dummy’s upper torso, then flashstepped around to land another blow on its back. Karkat nodded in satisfaction from where he stood to the side.

“Looks like you choose well,” Karkat remarked, “Or maybe it was just dumb luck. Not important.” Dave shrugged, sheathing the blade.

“It’ll work.”

“…Listen,” Karkat said suddenly, “I need to tell you something about being a Knight.” Dave looked up, digging his hands into his pockets.

“Yeah?”

“Alright, clear your aural nubs out.” Karkat crossed his arms and cleared his throat. “The job of the Knight is to protect the Seer from any and **all** threats.” His eyes hardened. “That includes themself.” Dave stared at him blankly.

“…So,”

“What I mean is that for all their magical foresight, Seers have the self-preservation instincts of a rampaging cluckbeast on rancid grub sauce.” Karkat grimaced. “Just looking at Rose I can tell she’s at least a little like Terezi, which means she’s going to be getting all sorts of stupid ideas in her head and she’s going to go off and try and do them. Your job is to realize when she’s wading to her death and drag her back. Understand?” Dave hesitated, then nodded slowly.

“Yeah.”

“Good.” Karkat flipped his sickle out. “Alright, let’s see how you are with a moving target.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And then bubbles went on to become a wildly successful necromancer, bringing fame to their tiny little village.
> 
> Karkat's job is mostly to keep Terezi from leaping straight into whatever dangerous scenario she's foreseen. And now that's Dave's job, apparently, instead of like, following her into danger or making it worse. Weird.


	10. The Land of Light and Rain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a pilgrimage begins, is interrupted, and things get kind of awkward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a hard time figuring out when you cut this chapter off. I think I chose right.

Rose stepped off the portal and looked around the strange landscape. They were on an island, surrounded by a pale, opaque ocean. Bright yellow rainclouds hung still in the air, dumping liquid rainbows into the water. She looked down at the powdery white rock she was standing on, rubbing against it with her shoe.

“The Land of Light and Rain.” Kanaya announced, coming to stand beside her. “What do you think?” Rose squinted across the colorful sea.

“It’s bright,” She remarked.

“Indeed.” Kanaya smiled faintly as she tilted her head back, letting the sun fall across her face. “It’s a land saturated with Light magic. It will be ideal for the next step of your studies.”

“This place ain’t too bad.” Eridan shaded his eyes as he hiked down the slope to join them. “Not as bad as LOWAA anyways.”

“Jesus.” Dave fixed his glasses, “I feel like I need another pair of shades here.”

“Well you aren’t staying long,” Kanaya answered with a touch of amusement, “In a moment we’ll take you to the Land of Heat and Clockwork to hone your Time magic.” Dave frowned, then turned to Rose.

“You gonna be alright?”

“Of course.” Rose nodded, “Several members from the university will be with both of us, and this is neutral territory. The Condesce wouldn’t dare approach us here.”

“Yeah,” Dave nodded, “I guess. Good luck then.” She flashed him a thumbs up and a smile.

“Same to you.”

Kanaya led him back to the portal. Eridan pointed to one of the small cabins, this one nestled close to the shore. “That’s where we’re stayin.”

“It’s quite a nice place.” Rose strolled down to the water’s edge. “Plenty of water. Perhaps you’ll enjoy a swim while you’re here?” He grimaced.

“This ain’t the time for a swim.” He kicked a bit of white stone into the sea. “Also it’s full a whatever that colorful stuff is.”

“Ah…” She sat down. “Perhaps not then.” She rested back on her hands. “So er, what am I supposed to do here?”

“You’re supposed to gain a greater connection with your Aspect.” Eridan sat down beside her. “Which will make you stronger and easier to use it in magic. I don’t know **how** exactly. You gotta figure that shit out for yourself.”

“I see.” Her brow furrowed together. “Is there, a hint of some sort?”

“I’m pretty sure I heard there’s somethin special about those clouds.” He pointed to one of the many clouds hovering around. She nodded.

“Very well.”

“I’ll be patrolling around.” Eridan got up and jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Call if you need anythin.”

He left to go walking around the shore. Rose began to wander the island. She examined the terrain, dipped her hands in the water, and watched the multi-colored rain fall.

She was bored.

Nothing stood out to her as a way to be doing what she was supposed to. She tossed a few chunks of chalk into the lake, then went off to find Eridan.

He was sitting off on a hill watching the ocean. Rose was amused to find his clothes had quickly become covered and streaked with chalk. He turned to glare at her, guessing the source of her chuckle. Even his hair had a bit in it.

“Yeah, laugh it up. Your clothes are just as bad.” She glanced down at her black skirt, now powdered with white, and shrugged.

“It will most likely wash out.”

“How’s your trainin goin?” She pursed her lips.

“It might go better if I had any inkling as to what to do here.”

He shrugged and lay down, pillowing his head in his arms. “You’ll figure it out. It’s a Light thing. Intuition and shit.” She sat down cross-legged beside him.

“You went through a similar ordeal, correct?” He grunted and nodded.

“Yeah, on LOWAA. Awful place.”

“What did you do for your quest?” He grimaced.

“It’s different for everyone.”

“But how did you do yours?”

“You don’t want to know what I did.”

Rose pouted, crossing her arms to further display her frustration. He ignored her.

“…What did my mother do?” His face lit up.

“I wasn’t there, but she told me and showed me pictures later. She went to the Land a Pyramids and Neon. See,” He waved a hand above his face, “the whole place has this cloud a colored lights over it. Hang on.” He took his phone out and tapped at it, then handed it to Rose. On the screen she saw a teenager version of her mother, flashing a peace sign and a wink. The camera was tilted to indicate the picture was self-taken. Behind her was a red landscape, with swirls of colors lighting up a dark sky. A note had been scribbled over it in pink digital marker.

 

_eri chek dis place out_

 

“Swipe right,” Eridan grunted. Rose did so to find another selfie of her mother, this time with her arm shot into the air and an expression of victory. Another, much larger note was also on it.

 

_SUKSESS!!_

The lights in the sky behind her had been rearranged. Now instead of blanketing the sky, they spelled “ro-lal waz here.” Rose smirked.

“How adorable.”

“She used her void to mess with the neon,” Eridan said, “Somethin about rearranging and displacement. I never got it, but I could tell it was impressive nevertheless.”

“It certainly seems that way.” She returned the phone. “How long did it take her to do that?”

“10 days. There were a lot a puzzles and messin with the pyramid beacons or somethin.”

“Quests take that long?” She asked, a little alarmed. He shrugged.

“They take as long as they take. Mine took about two weeks, but plenty are done in a day. Yours could be.”

“I doubt it.” She muttered. Her eyes narrowed as a spot of movement caught her eye on the horizon. “What’s that?”

“What’s what?”

“There’s a ship out there.” She pointed across the water. “Actually, it might be several.” His eyes narrowed and he sat up to look.

“Ain’t anyone else supposed to be here.” Rose got up, trying to get a better look. They were approaching fast; she could clearly count five ships now.

“Not to panic anyone,” She shaded her eyes against the bright sun, “but I’m getting a bad feeling about this.”

“Follow your intuition.” Eridan growled, standing up with her. “Shit, that’s the Condesce’s flag!”

“It seems she dares,” Rose muttered, then a sharp buzzing hit the back of her mind. “They’re going to fire!”

Eridan shoved her behind him and threw his arm up as several balls of black light streaked toward them. A storm of white feathers swirled up around them. The missiles crashed down around them, making the ground shake and throwing up chunks of chalk. The blasts and debris didn’t hit them, instead meeting the barrier and blowing apart. As soon as the barrage ended Eridan dropped the shield. Rose saw the other people from the university running down the slope toward them.

“They took out the portal!” One of them announced when they got close enough. “There are more ships coming in from the other side.” Eridan swore harshly, flexing his hands.

“Fine, this is just fuckin **fine**. You guys take on the ones on the other side. Contact Maryam if you can. I’ll take out these.” They agreed without an argument, returning up the hill. Eridan stripped his scarf and cape off.

“Guess I’m goin in the water after all. Here.” He tossed her his scarf. “Hold onto that. Don’t want it gettin wet. Go hide somewhere.” Rose wrapped it around her arm.

“What are you going to do?” He paused, shot her a strange look for a second, then turned to look back out at the ocean.

“I’m gonna stop the boats, obviously. Get outta here.” He stripped off his shirt, revealing a row of thin slits below his ribcage. Rose eyed them, then glanced up at the mass of black tendrils drawn around his arm. They almost seemed to writhe as he reached up to pull his glasses off.

Rose heard the voices again, softly whispering at the back of her mind. She shook her head to chase them away. Eridan looked back at her with a scowl.

“What’re you still doin here? They’ll send another barrage any second.”

“Are you going to use that?” She pointed at his arm. His eyes bugged out before he shook his head viciously.

“No! Fuck no. Now shoo!” He flapped his other hand at her impatiently, then turned back to the water. Moving with a sudden grace she had never seen from him, he dove into the water. He didn’t surface. She swallowed, then took off at a run across the island.

The voices had faded from her mind, but were replaced by the sound of shouting and loud crashing in the water. Rather than heed her guardian’s insistence she take cover, she followed the noises to the other side of the island. The land had several large craters carved into the soft surface. The members of the university scrambled around, shooting magical blasts at the approaching boats, which traded with their own magical blows.

Rose flicked out her needles and ran up to the high ground, getting into a firm stance as the next rain of attacks approached. Black masses of light, probably Space magic or something charmed with it, soared toward them. She raised her needles and shot in quick succession, hitting several. She kept the blasts fairly weak, but it seemed enough to trigger them to explode harmlessly in the air. She nodded in satisfaction, gathering her energy for another round. This land was indeed saturated with Light magic. She could feel it humming around her, eager to be pulled into her grasp.

“Miss Lalonde!” She looked down at one of the university members stumbling up to her. It was Cora. “Miss Lalonde, you must find shelter.”

“I was under the impression I was being useful,” Rose shot several more missiles as she spoke, “I would rather do so than hide away.”

“Miss Lalonde, please,” Cora grabbed her wrist, “We can handle this. It would be best-” She cut off, mouth hanging open mid-word as she looked down at the spike of crackling magenta energy jutting through her stomach. Her legs gave out and she crumbled to the ground.

Rose took a step back, her chest fluttering with shock. She took a quick breath, then closed and opened her eyes.

 _“Run.”_ She shook her head, fighting against the intuition playing at the back of her mind, but then she realized the ships were fanning out. If they surrounded the island and Eridan was still out in the ocean, they would be trapped.

Rose sighed in frustration and began to skitter down the island toward the shore. Cora was a heart magician, she would be fine, probably. Rose was the one they were looking for; perhaps making herself scarce was truly the correct path.

As luck would have it, the direction she chose led her to a dock with a small boat tied up. She quickly hopped in and shot the rope with her needles. She shoved off and grabbed the oars to row as quick as she could manage to the next island.

She heard loud blasts and glanced back to where Eridan had gone. The ships appeared to be in disarray, with bright flashes of light exploding beside them all around. She smiled grimly, then looked back to the other group. Her heart dropped when she saw a small motorboat had departed from one of the ships and was heading straight for her. She swore and yanked the oars harder, glancing over her shoulder toward her target island.

As she approached she noticed a cave hidden in the island’s bay. She steered around for it, acutely away of the drone of the other boat’s motor.

Her small vessel barely managed to clear the cave’s entrance. She hoped that meant her pursuers would be unable to enter. The water glowed faintly, allowing her to see. She peered up at the stalactites hanging from the ceiling, the light of the water playing off them. There was a shore further in, with another entrance, or perhaps more a small crevice, that hopefully didn’t lead to a dead end.

“Child of Lalonde,” She whirled around. The motorboat floated outside the cave. There was only one person inside. She was surprised to find he was human, a gruff-looking man with his share of scars. He wore the Condesce’s symbol on his cloak.  He reached out to her. His voice was surprisingly soft, as if trying to soothe a frightened animal. “The chase is over. There’s no need for you to be harmed.” She glowered at him as she rowed on. Her boat lurched to a stop with a sudden crunch. She swore and glared down at the opaque water for the hidden barrier.

“Humans can survive under her rule!” He called out to her. “And she will value you. You’ll be treated like royalty yourself.” She shot a tendril of light at him. He whipped his cloak up and it crashed against it harmlessly. Rose jumped out of the boat into the water. It was deeper than she had anticipated, and she fell down up to her chest. She winced, then set her wands in her teeth and headed for the shore, thankful Eridan had insisted she learn to swim well. The man hopped out of his boat as well and began to wade toward her.

“We can help each other,” He continued, “I’ll be recognized better than a midblood for finding you, and I won’t let any of the trolls bother you, a’ight?” The swimming was hard going in her clothes. Her skirt billowed around like an annoying creature clinging to her waist. She kicked off her shoes and struggled to find purchase on the chalk bottom. The man was catching up to her quickly.

She scrambled onto the shore and spun around to face him, grabbing her wands. The rowing and hard swimming had worn her down a surprising amount. He pushed forward, holding his cloak ready to block.

“You’re tired. I can tell. The other boats have surrounded the others by now.” He reached forward again. “Come now, I’m human as you are. I understand your fear. Let me-”

A gray hand shot out of the water and clamped onto the back of his cloak. The man whirled around as Eridan rose out of the water to tower over him. White smoke emitted from him like steam, and his expression was stone-cold.

The man suddenly didn’t look very threatening at all. He stumbled back in the water, then shakily raised a small dagger halfway up toward Eridan. Eridan tilted his head and considered him for a few seconds, then raised his hand, which burned with white fire. With the palm open and fingers slightly hooked, he swung it into the side of the man’s head, and it was cleaved off in one neat blow. The head smacked into side of the cavern, then plunked into the water while the body crumbled below the surface as well. A plume of red bloomed up in the milky surface. Eridan’s lip curled back in distaste and he flexed and unflexed his hand before wiping it down on his pants.

He turned, and his gaze settled on Rose. She went stiff, and from the way his eyebrows drew together, he noticed.

 “Rose,” He started. She jerked back. He stepped forward, stirring up another cloud of red in the water. “Rose-”

She turned and ran, stumbling through her sodden skirt through the tiny crevice that Eridan would never be able to fit through. He was calling after her and she heard him stepping out onto the shore but she shoved her way forward without an answer.

She was suddenly outside, the bright light nearly blinding her as she stood there. The sound of blasts and shouting continued from a distance. She shivered and let herself fall back onto her butt, hugging herself. She stared up at the yellow clouds and lights and the ships breaking apart in the distance. It was so **bright**. She squeezed her eyes shut but even the sound of the rain and water and explosions was overwhelming her. She took a deep breath and began to rub her palms against the ground, focusing on that sensation.

She opened her eyes and turned her attention on the rain pouring from the nearest cloud. It was a sparkling cascade of different colors. She watched it fall through dull eyes. At first it seemed impossible to make any sort of pattern, but after a few second of focus she caught flashes of a certain hue, brighter than the others in the stream. She pursed her lips, leaning forward to squint at it. It was a rather beautiful shade of lavender.

She held the certain color in her mind, then flicked her needles up and fired a bit of the same lavender light into the cloud. The cloud lit up to match, as did all the water falling from it.

She stood up and looked around. Several more clouds hung around her. She watched one until she picked out the deep orange flickering in the rain. She changed its color as well, then moved on to the others. A sky blue, a deep green-

A bright pink. That was her mother’s favorite color. She felt a sharp pang in her chest and quickly turned away.

She focused on the battle nearby. Clouds were also drifting around the area, serene despite the violence below them. She pursed her lips.

She could work with those.

She shot a large wad of energy into one of the clouds, and it exploded to rain molten light onto the ships below it. She fired several more times, watching the light cut into the exterior of the ships and the people on board running around to try and fix the damage. With the focus off of them, the people on the island retaliated with a barrage of magic, further increasing the pandemonium on the ships.

They spotted her. Several motorboats dropped into the water from the ships and went speeding toward her.

Information stacked up in her mind. The island was surrounded. Two of the battleships were beginning to turn to face her. Eight motorboats coming.

She spun her wands around, gathering Light into them like working a cotton-candy machine, then swept out a wide band of white fire to rush toward the group. As it hit them she ran down the island’s side in the other direction. There were a small line of boulders sticking out of the water. She leapt onto the closest one, then to the next, making fast progress toward the next island. Her attack had flipped several of the motorboats, but the other ships were sending more out. She fired at another one of the clouds, sending another shower of burning light and making the inhabitants dive overboard out of the way.

She landed on the next island. What now? Get to the high ground. She hiked upwards, glancing over her shoulder as she did so. The first of the motorboats hit the shore. She fired again, hitting the first two enemies in the chest and sending them into the water. Rose gripped her needles tight and set her jaw. The air and land were charged with her Aspect. Let them come.

Except that they did, quite a lot of them in fact, and they brought up shields of dark blue that swallowed her shots up like drops of water. She supposed she could have foreseen even without her powers that they would have fail-safes prepared against her.

She ran. Up the hill to the top of the island. Fine, fine, she would just-

Wait. She would wait.

The first of the attackers, a female troll with horns like fishing hooks, advanced on her. She wore a metal gauntlet that reached out to Rose while the other hand held her cloak up in defense.

Dave popped into being in front of the invader and slammed his fist into her nose, then kicked her down the slope. He blinked out to reappear in front of the next troll coming up, giving them a full-body shove and toppling them down the hill as well. Rose glanced down in time to watch a wave of roiling black crash into the attackers farther down, sweeping them all into the ocean.

“Rose.” She turned around to see Kanaya striding toward her, more black and white light sparking at her fists. “Are you alright?”

“Yes, I believe so.” Rose looked back at Dave. He lowered his sword and turned to face her.

“LOHAC fucking **sucked** ,” He informed her with deadpan seriousness, “Though it looks like you’ve been having a shitty time too. Talk about-” He broke off abruptly, then his gaze lowered down to her arm. “Is that-”

Rose looked down at the blue scarf wrapped around her arm. It had been reduced to a sodden mess during her swim. Kanaya noticed it as well and gave a thin frown.

“Where’s Eridan?”

Rose’s fist tightened around the wet yarn. Dave stepped closer to her and reached out to take her wrist.

“Rose?” She shook her head, then swallowed.

“He-”

A loud blast shook the ground and a pillar of white light shot out from inside the island she had just been on. The trail faded as a ball of light glided down swiftly toward them. It slowed as it approached, and faded to reveal Eridan, his feet lightly touching down on the ground.

He didn’t look happy. His eyes were dark and his mouth was twisted into a tight line. He nodded once to Kanaya.

“Maryam, glad you could make it.” He glanced over at Rose for a split second before quickly looking to Dave, who didn’t say anything, but Rose felt him tense.

Eridan turned back to Kanaya, “Get them outta here,” He growled, “There’s another teleportation pad about 20 islands south.” Kanaya nodded, moving to rest her hands on Rose and Dave’s shoulders. She began to gently tug them away but Rose twisted away to turn back to Eridan.

“Are you,” Her voice sounded higher than usual, weaker than her normal confident tone, “A…Aren’t you coming?” He met her eyes, and she tried not to flinch away from the hard look in them.

“No.” He jerked his head back to the ships. “Reinforcements are comin. I’m takin care a them. Kan.”

Kanaya tugged on Rose’s arm, a little more persistently. Rose wavered, and her teeth sunk into her lip.

“Eridan-”

“I’m here to protect ya, Rose.” He wasn’t looking at her anymore, watching the ships coming in. “That’s what I’m gonna do.” He paused, then stepped forward toward the shore. “You should leave.”

Before Rose could answer black smoke burst up around her. The last thing she saw was white light gathering around Eridan before her stomach flipped and her feet hit the ground again.

She blinked and looked around. They were still in LOLAR, but a different island. She whirled around to face Kanaya, who pointed to the left. She turned to see a white light several islands away, rising into the air before it went shooting toward the ships.

“If it would be ok,” Kanaya took firm hold on both of their sleeves. Her tone was sympathetic but unwavering. “perhaps we could walk the rest of the way?”

She led the way down the slope to the next island, glancing back over her shoulder every so often to make sure they were following. Dave kept ahold of Rose’s hand while the other gripped his sword. He was shooting her worried looks every so often, but didn’t say anything. She expected he would ask once they were alone. Her other arm, the one with Eridan’s scarf wrapped around it, hung limply, her needles threatening to fall out of her fingers.

They found the portal, and Kanaya hurried them onto it. Rose turned back to try and see the battle, but they were too far away. The sounds of explosions and crashing water was still audible though. She closed her eyes, using the Light around her to reach out. Bright colors flashed across her vision. Shots of white, blue, red, and a million other colors, metal hulls blasting apart, chunks of chalk flying through the air.

“Rose.” She opened her eyes. Kanaya’s hand was on her shoulder. “We’re going now.” Rose nodded, releasing the Light before the portal’s energy took ahold of them.

 

000

 

Rose sat against the wall of her room, her chin propped up on her knees as she tapped her fingers against the wooden floor. Dave sat on the bed, alternating between polishing his sword and shooting her glances every now and again.

There was a knock on the door. Dave got up and looked at her. She nodded. He went over to open the door. It was Kanaya, holding two scrolls. One tied with a gold ribbon, the other with red. She nodded hello.

“Good, you’re both here. One moment.” She undid the red scroll and cleared her throat before reading aloud to them, “Dave Strider, for your demonstrated manipulation and synchronization of the clock gears in the Land of Heat and Clockwork, the council has declared your quest fulfilled and your status has been raised to a level 2 magician.” She redid the scroll and handed it to him with a nod, then undid the other and began again, “Rose Lalonde, for your demonstrated ability to glean the true colors of the rainclouds in the Land of Light and Rain, and to create said colors and provide them to the correct clouds, the council has declared your quest fulfilled and your status has been raised to a level 2 magician.” She handed the scroll to Dave, since Rose hadn’t risen from her spot. “Congratulations to the two of you.”

“Thanks,” Dave answered. Kanaya pursed her lips, looking between the two as the silence stretched between them.

“Are you,” She started, “doing ok?”

“Yes,” Rose answered softly, “Thank you, Kanaya.”

“I…also wished to inform you,” Kanaya folded her hands together in front of her. “Eridan has volunteered himself out on a mission, but he said that since you two were level 2 magicians, if you wished to go into town, I, Karkat, or Terezi could accompany you,” She paused, then continued, “Also, if there is anything you would like to talk about, I want you to know that you may come to me if you wish.”

“Thank you, Kanaya,” Rose repeated in the same tone.

“Then,” Kanaya gripped the door knob and nodded, “I will leave you two alone then. Please try to get some rest. You both had an exhausting ordeal.”

She closed the door behind her. Dave walked over and sat down next to Rose. He offered her the scroll, which she took after a moment’s consideration, and put it down beside her.

“So uh,” Dave started, “kind of weird that Eridan didn’t like stop by or anything to check on us or tell us he was ok after going off to go fight a bunch of ships huh? Just popped on back and decided the first thing he needed to do was find some dumbass mission to run off to.” Rose didn’t answer. Dave scooted a bit closer. “Rose, uh, did something happen?”

“I saw him kill someone,” She murmured, “that’s all.”

“Oh,” Dave said, then they were silent about a full minute. After a while he cleared his throat far too loudly to be natural. “So, was it uh, hard on you? Are you afraid of him now?”

“I-” She shook her head, “I don’t know. It was just, a shock.”

“He uh,” Dave spun his scroll over his fingers, “You know, he killed that Rage dude, right?”

“That was different,” She answered in quiet tone, “That was, a fight. It was necessary.”

“Rose,” Dave said suddenly, “ **I’ve** killed someone.”

“Don’t compare it!” She hissed as the scroll crumpled in her grip, “I knew, I knew what he was capable of. I’ve **always** known, that given the circumstances, he was capable. I think I admired that about him. But I just, it didn’t seem necessary. He was so, casual about it-” She broke off, then forced her hand open to let the scroll fall to the floor. She shook her head again. “I guess I’ve just been foolish, like Karkat said.”

“Rose.” Dave lightly knocked his knuckles against her shoulder. “Hey, chill. Um, look, you think he’s dangerous? Like obviously he’s dangerous to like, bad guys, that’s basically a determined fact by now but do you think he’s dangerous to us or like someone you wouldn’t want blasted to itty bitty bits like some kinda…” His words led off, then he coughed. “-thing?”

“I…” Rose looked down at her lap, “I don’t, know. I don’t, think so, but the way he acted so…lightly about it…”

“Uh huh.”

“Do you think I’m overreacting?” She finally looked up at him. “Should I not be letting this get to me?”

“Whoa,” Dave raised both his hands and shook his head. “This is, he’s your godfather. I’m not the authority here.”

“But you know him well enough,” She pressed, “Does it shock you? If he were your godfather, would it have bothered you?”

Dave went quiet. He stared down at his feet, motionless, not even a tapping finger or a twitch of the mouth. Rose had seen him do this before, likening it to a deer freezing up. As far as she could tell, he was either spooked or thinking hard.

“No,” He finally said, “But like, that’s me. Maybe it’s different for you.”

They both fell silent, Rose staring at the floor and tapping her fingers on the wood, and Dave hugging his knees and studying the wall.

“You don’t have to accept it,” Dave said after a while. Rose looked up at him again, and her eyebrows furrowed just a little.

“What are you suggesting? That I disown him?”

“No, Hell no. I mean,” Dave paused, took a slow breath, “I mean, can’t you like,” He made some vague gesture in the air, “talk…to him…about it? He like, he obviously cares a lot about you. If you were like, ‘hey how about you be more mindful of murdering things and shit?’ do you think he’d listen?”

Rose chewed on her lip, then drummed her fingers on her knees as she turned the idea over in her head.

“He might whine,” She answered, “Dither, throw a bit of a spat, but maybe he’ll come around. I’ll, I’ll have to try and see.”

“Cool.” Dave nodded, then continued to nod to himself as he turned to stare at the door. “…Cool.”

“Thank you, Dave,” She smiled faintly, “I truly am lucky to have such a composed coolkid to hold my hand through all these histrionic emotional shenanigans.”

“No prob.”

“I’ll talk to him when he returns,” She decided, “Regardless of how hard he attempts to avoid me.” Dave’s mouth twitched upwards at that.

“I feel sorry for the guy already.”

“He certainly won’t be back today, though.” Rose glanced at the time on her phone, “But I suppose that’s enough moping. Do you suppose the practice yard will be free at this hour?”

 

000

 

Rose saw a world of bright colors and chaos. Towering structures of cloth that flashed with lurid designs and garish hues. It was being blown apart. Flying white fire punched through the fabric, burning holes and toppling poles. Eridan was running between the tents, darting from cover to cover. The air was full of excited shouts and cries. Rose caught glimpses of other figures chasing after him, leaping around the tents or on the ground. They were all trolls. Many of them wore white face-paint, which added more terror to their malicious grins. He snarled and hurled out a ball of white light. It crashed into a tentpole and the whole thing creaked over. His pursuers hooted with excitement as they scattered.

Something was wrong. Eridan’s magic sparked erratically as he fired, fizzling and sputtering like fire burning on wet wood. He hurled another ball of fire at one of his pursuers, and they countered with a column of purple twisting light, the two collided and exploded before seeming to eat each other, leaving only a few fading wisps of light behind.

One of the trolls leapt into the air and slammed into the top of a tentpole. It tipped, the troll riding it down as it descended. Eridan’s head jerked up and Rose saw his eyes go wide before the mess of fabric and wood crashed down on him.

She snapped awake, gasping and drenched in sweat. With shaking limbs, she swung her legs over the side of the bed and got up, walking barefoot and in her nightgown out the door.

She let her feet take her down the hallway, padding silent and alone in the late hours. She arrived at the library, where voices within beckoned her in.

As she walked down the main corridor, she recognized the voice as Terezi and, peeking around the corner, spotted her with Karkat.

“IS HE FUCKING SIX!?” Karkat slammed his fist into the side of a bookshelf, “HE FOLLOWED THEM INTO THE LAND OF FUCKING **TENTS AND MIRTH** LIKE SOME STUPID SQUEAKBEAST CHASING CHEESE?! THEY LURED HIM IN LIKE THE WORLD’S BIGGEST DUMBASS!”

“Karkat **God** ,” Terezi hissed and rubbed her temples, “Stop yelling!”

“I’LL YELL ALL I FUCKING WANT FOR THIS SITUATION. ERIDAN-”

“What happened to Eridan?” Rose demanded as she approached. They both whirled around to face her, and Karkat’s jaw snapped shut.

“THE FUCK ARE YOU DOING HERE??”

“What happened to Eridan?” She repeated. Her voice strained with impatience. “The Land of Tents and Mirth, it’s, Rage, it’s a Rage land. What happened?”

Karkat’s face screwed up like he was trying to swallow something rather unsavory. “It-” He started, “He- Well-” Terezi clapped a hand on his shoulder to stop him, speaking instead.

“Eridan has been captured by the Condesce’s forces.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Everyone learned a new word today: Histrionic: Overemotional.
> 
>  _"Dear Rox, I think I fucked up and traumatized Rose."_  
>  Apart from his own journal, Eridan also keeps a small diary solely for his "Dear Rox I think I fucked up with Rose." Entries. Guess which one is longer.
> 
> Don't ask why smartphones existed during Roxy and Eridan's childhoods. This is an AU. In the canon they have magical inventory things. Leave me alone.
> 
> Dave likes Eridan and all but he's also pretty much ready to throw down whenever he feels like Rose is acting a little weird about stuff.
> 
> Pilgrimages, or quests, can be done in a day, but doing something really impressive is a good way to make yourself known as you rise in the ranks and society hears about you. Rose and Dave both did something that was med-level impressive, especially given the circumstances, but the fact that they did it so quickly was uncommon.


	11. Jailbreak

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose gets an idea, a rescue plan is mounted, and a surprise guest appears.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, let's get this show on the road.

Rose shoved the contents of her desk onto the floor and pulled a cloth bundle out of her drawer. She unwrapped it to reveal a clear crystal ball. Holding it in her hands, she took a deep breath, then stared into it, focusing her Light and imagining Eridan in her mind. Spots appeared in her vision, appearing to gather in the center of the ball. She stared harder, urging the visions to form. They seemed to thicken for a moment, then abruptly dissipated. She blinked rapidly in shock. She had mastered this technique **weeks** ago. She clenched her jaw and focused again.

“You can’t scry him.” She jumped and dropped the ball, then spun around in her chair. Terezi was standing beside her, hand resting on her cane and mouth in a tight frown. “They’ve no doubt put him in some place with all kinds of protections by now.”

Rose’s hands balled into fists and she took a hard swallow before speaking evenly, “Then I’ll get more powerful tools.” Terezi snorted.

“Good luck with that. You won’t find anything here. The Condesce isn’t going to be shirking on expenses.”

Rose’s lip curled back into a snarl as she glared at Terezi, the tension slowly building up in her shoulders. Terezi remained still, staring back at her and somehow meeting her sightless eyes with Rose’s.

The tension released as Rose turned away to sag against the desk, recklessly shoving her crystal ball to the ground where it bounced loudly against the floor.

“We’ll figure out a plan,” Terezi told her, “There’s no need to start running around like a distraught cluckbeast.”

“Forgive me if I seem a little concerned,” Rose hissed back. Terezi sniffed in response.

“Panicking won’t get you anywhere. We’re already sending out scouts and contacting our spies to find out where he might have been taken.” Rose glared down at the surface of her desk. Terezi’s mouth twisted around, then she sighed and gave her a smack on the shoulder.

“Cheer up, no one’s dead yet, as far as we know.” Rose turned her glower to her. Terezi shrugged. “We’ll keep you updated, promise. Just try to stay calm.” She flashed Rose a sharp smile, “Panicking at the first sign of trouble won’t get you far in this world.”

Rose didn’t answer. Terezi sighed again and ruffled her hair.

“Get some sleep, if you can. We’ll give you an update in the morning.”

 

000

 

“Rose, it’ll be fine.”

“He could be executed, Dave.” Rose’s fingers curled around the scarf folded neatly in her lap. Dave sat nearby, polishing his sword with careful, deliberate movements.

“You don’t know that.”

“Yes Dave,” Rose’s fingers dug into the yarn, “I just have a very bad **feeling**.”

“Maybe it’s partially anxiety this time.” Dave glanced toward the doorway, “They’re keeping an eye on the news.”

“And what will they do if the Condesce announces his execution?”

“Jesus, Rose,” Dave put his sword down and shook his head, “they aren’t going to **leave** him.”

“Dave.”

“Yeah?”

“I’m going to save him.”

Dave paused, then, very slowly, looked up at her.

“What?”

“I’m going to find Eridan,” She spoke as if in a trance, head tilted just slightly as she stared into space, “And I’m going to bring him back.”

“Uh,” Dave set his sword down, “You sure about that?”

“Yes.” Rose stood up, holding the scarf in her hands. She turned to fix him with a grim look. “Are you coming?”

“Are you kidding?” Dave got up as well, “Course I am.”

 

000

 

Karkat was hunched over a map, muttering under his breath when Rose walked in. His head snapped up and his eyes narrowed.

“Any progress?” Rose asked. Karkat grunted and waved a hand at his notes.

“Some.”

“What’s this?” Rose lay her fingers on one of the papers on the table. It contained several lines of Alternian in a list form.

“Possible locations,” Karkat muttered, “We’re *hoping* it’s one of them.”

“Really.” She ran her finger down the page. Karkat gave another distracted wave.

“We should be able to figure out exactly where soon. Terezi’s working on it.” Rose’s eye narrowed as she studied the names. She closed her eyes to focus.

“If I had to hazard a guess…” She muttered.

 

000

 

The night before they planned to leave, Rose struggled to keep her eyes closed. She kept finding herself staring at the ceiling, going over the plans and backup plans and backup backup plans. She knew she needed to rest for tomorrow, but nothing could free her mind from the obsessive worry.

Eventually though, she must have drifted off, because she found herself floating in a darkness that was just a little familiar, surrounded by whispers that she could never have forgotten if she tried.

A dark shape moved in front of her. It appeared to be a tendril of something far too massive to exist on Earth. She pursed her lips.

“Hello?” She called out. The surroundings rippled in response. She tensed, but kept her chin up and did her best to force down her unease.

**_“Seer.”_ **

She jerked in surprise at the voice booming around her. Its harsh, distorted tone sent a shiver down her spine.

“If you are addressing me,” She answered in as level a tone as she could manage, “What is your business?” The voice didn’t hesitate in its answer.

**_“We want to help you.”_ **

“Help me,” Rose repeated blankly, then added with a touch of skepticism, “Are you offering me some sort of contract?”

 ** _“We are offering you power.”_** The air around her seemed to press in, making it hard to breathe.

“And what would be the terms of that offering?” Rose pressed back, “A dollar ninety-nine? My eternal soul?”

**_“Power to save your guardian, who wears our mark.”_ **

Rose’s eyebrows drew together in thought. “How did Eridan come to get acquainted with you?” She asked, “Is there a reason you would want to aid me in helping him?”

The voice answered, but it was garbled and wavering. Rose leaned forward.

“What?”

The voice spoke again, but still indecipherable. It was fainter too, fading away, along with the moving shapes around her. Frustration welled up and Rose tried to push forward, to get closer.

“Rose!”

Her eyes snapped open. Dave was holding her shoulder, dressed with a bag over his shoulder.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty.” His mouth set into a tight line. “You ready to do this?”

 

000

 

“So,” Dave used the broach to pin his cloak together. A bright red jewel sparkled in the center, “Do you know how to work this thing?”

“I think so,” Rose pinned her own broach, hers having a bright violet jewel, “It should just be that we push down on it for ten seconds…” She demonstrated by pressing her thumb against the gem. After a moment, it flashed once, then a bright light flashed across her entire body. She blinked rapidly, then looked down at her hands. Instead of her normal pale tint, they now bore an ash gray color, with long pointed yellow fingernails. She looked back up at Dave, who was staring at her, mouth hovering half-open.

“Whoa,” He finally said. She checked her reflection on her phone. A young troll, with bright lavender eyes, shining black hair, and a pair of fins fanning from her cheeks stared back at her. She blinked once more, just to be certain it was her, then nodded and faced Dave again.

“Your turn.”

He nodded and pressed down on his own broach. Another couple of flashes later, Rose was faced with the troll version of her friend, with dark hair and a pair of horns, though he was missing the fins. He took his glasses off and checked his red eyes on his phone.

“…Should probably keep these on,” He muttered before putting his glasses back on.

“That would be wise,” Rose pulled her hood up, “The illusion should hold for 24 hours before needing to be recharged, assuming these hadn’t been half-used when we borrowed them, or assuming they aren’t faulty, or assuming-”

“Jesus, Lalonde.”

“I do not foresee there will be any embarrassing accidents,” Rose assured him, “Still, we should make haste.”

“Right,” Dave popped his own hood up as well, “Enter the snarky violetblood and her lowly rustblood servant. Think your Alternian is up for this?”

“I’m going to hope there will be little talking necessary,” Rose muttered back before they turned toward the portal. “You’ve memorized the code back, I take it? We can’t have it written down anywhere.”

“Yeah.”

“Well then,” She stepped onto the portal, “Shall we be off?”

Dave stepped up to stand beside her. Rose closed her eyes and took a deep breath, then recited the spell for transportation, rattling off the code at the end. A rush of tingling overtook her, her stomach dropped, then the cool breeze of outside hit her. She opened her eyes.

They stood on a grassy hill that overlooked a small town. The buildings were of an odd architecture: dark grey smooth walls, with windows clustered together in patterns. While it had been early morning at Skaia, this area was bathed in the darkness of night.

“Welcome to Alternia,” Rose muttered.

The town was not their destination. Instead, they turned their sights on the large castle in the distance. Set on a cliff over the shoreline, it was a sizable fortress on the border of Alternia. Built for action rather than decoration, it still sported an amount of ornamentation that Rose deemed to surpass gaudy. Intricate spires rose from the tips, painted bright red, and gold trim wrapped around the edges. Rose felt the Condesce must be very well off indeed, to be able to decorate even border fortresses so. As a final touch, when they got closer they realized the entire castle sparkled, as if doused in craft glitter.

“Barf.” Dave muttered, and Rose nudged him to be silent as they crouched in the shadows to get a good look at the area.

Rose’s eyes narrowed as she studied the guards posted in front of the door and on the walls. Security was high, most likely from their new guest of honor.

Were she a Void magician, they might have been able to slip in invisible. As it stood, another method would have to be needed.

“A cargo supply will be coming in 5 minutes,” Rose whispered under her breath. “We should be on it when it enters.”

Sure enough, a cart appeared over the hill, heading down the path toward the fortress. It was pulled by two giant beasts that somewhat resembled horses, but with heavier legs, and far too many horns and pointed teeth.

Rose tossed a small ball of light in the path of the creatures where it burst with a bright flash. The creatures shrieked and reared up in surprise. The guards shouted and ran forward to wrestle them back down. In the commotion, Rose and Dave slipped to the back of the truck, squeezing in between a small crevice in the boxes.

It was pitch dark inside, but Rose didn’t dare make a light. She clasped Dave’s hand and held it tight as the cart lurched to a move again. It rumbled along on its way as they sat in tense silence.

The cart stopped. They heard some short words from the trolls outside with the guards, then the heavy gate rumbling open, and the cart resumed its pace forward.

They sat stock-still as the cart made its way inside, then stopped. They heard the sound of the crates in front of them being shifted and pulled out of the cart. Dave tensed, but Rose squeezed his hand to calm him.

The shifting stopped, and one of the trolls spoke. Rose caught “lunch” before they heard footsteps heading away from them. Rose counted to 60, then released Dave’s hand and shifted over to crawl out.

They found themselves in a large storage room, filled with what appeared to be mostly food. Dave scanned the area, then glanced at Rose.

“Now?”

“Now we act casual.” Rose answered, lowering her hood to tap at the fins on the sides of her head. Dave nodded.

“Right.”

They shuffled out of the room into a long hallway. Rose closed her eyes and reached out for guidance. A nagging in the back of her mind pulled her left. For several minutes, it was just them wandering through the halls, their footsteps breaking the tense silence around them.

The interior glowed a soft red from the rows of pods set in the hallway. Rose couldn’t help but feel like they were like eyes watching them, but she kept her eyes forward and her steps steady as they turned the corner.

Four trolls took up the hallway ahead, joking and shoving at each other. They were all dressed in the guard’s uniform, and all had weapons hanging from their belts, not in use at the moment, but able to be drawn in a second.

Before they could turn back, one of the trolls spotted them and grabbed another’s arm. They all turned to look down the hall at them. Rose felt Dave stiffen, but neither of them broke stride. Rose examined them, mind churning rapidly. Their colors ranged from bronze to green. Naturally, Highbloods would not be hanging out with others that much lower than them. Their looks were more puzzled than suspicious, and what suspicion they did have was tempered with nervousness.

It would have to be enough.

Rose increased her pace, jerked her chin up, and even managed to have her fins flare outwards. She envisioned a cold, deadly energy and brought it into her gaze as they approached. “Move,” She barked in Alternian, with the harsh irritation that was rightful to her from them daring to not clear the way sooner.

They moved. Scattered actually, fetching up against the wall with grunts of apology and not a second glance of the rustblood padding along behind her as she passed.

Rose relaxed just a little as they left the trolls behind and turned another corner. They stopped at a branch in the hallway, with three ways to go. Rose closed her eyes, then opened them again.

“Right.” She said. Dave started to move that way, but Rose’s eyes snapped wide and she grabbed his arm. “No, left! Left!” She dragged Dave around, making him hop on one foot for a few steps before he managed to steady himself and they rushed down the other hallway.

“What-” Dave started but Rose hissed for silence as she shoved them into an alcove, pressing them both up against the cold wall. Not a second later, the sound of footsteps reached them.

Rose heard a woman’s voice, low and gruff, speaking in fast Alternian. On the opposite wall, a shadow appeared of a huge, imposing figure, tall enough that her horns scratched the top of the ceiling.

Rose closed her eyes and she could see her. A powerful, muscular form, billows of black hair falling to the floor, a golden crown and a tyrian form-fitting suit that could only indicate one thing.

Rose had imagined the that the Condesce was an imposing figure. She wasn’t disappointed.

She opened her eyes again. The Condesce snapped something else. Since no one else was around, she assumed she was talking on the phone. Rose couldn’t understand exactly what they were talking about, but she caught “Seadweller,” “Stupid,” and “Lalonde.”

The Condesce released an exasperated snarl and screeched in a tone that made Rose wince.

“JACK NOIR, I SAID SHUT THE FUCK UP!” Rose understood that well enough. She was pretty sure she would be hearing it in her nightmares. The Condesce then made some dismissive remarked that Rose guessed was something along the line of “forget it, forget it.” She could see the Condesce’s shadow shift on the wall as she leaned in, then spoke in another sentence simple enough even Rose could understand it.

“How is my _weapon_?” She put a sharp, excited tone on the last word that sent a shiver up Rose’s spine. There was a short pause, then the Condesce nodded and leaned back again. She said some other things, then turned on her heel and went striding off down the hall, the sound of her heel clicking a rhythm on the metal floors that lined up with Rose’s banging heart.

For a long time, the two of them stood frozen, barely breathing. Slowly, Rose released her hold on Dave’s wrist. She hadn’t even realized she had still been holding it, but she was fairly certain she had been cutting the circulation off. Dave rubbed his wrist, staring at the wall.

“Holy shit.” He whispered finally. “Was that-?” Rose nodded.

“Let’s keep going.” Her voice wavered, but there was no turning back now.

Taking the next path down led them to a set of stairs, guarded by a single troll. They dodged around a corner and Rose’s brow furrowed. The guard wasn’t going to let them in without some form of permission or reason.

Or distraction. Rose held her palm up, cupped ever-so-slightly. The guard’s head swiveled around, as if something had caught her attention down the hall. Rose flexed her fingers and a bright flash lit up the other end of the hall. The guard hissed and went stalking toward it, sword ready. Rose nodded to Dave and they quickly crossed the hall to head down the stairs.

At the end of the stairs was a door. Rose blew through the lock with her hands and it swung open to reveal another staircase, this one spiraling downwards and out of sight. They started forward into the descent.

The staircase continued on, and on, and on, so long that Rose began to feel dizzy with the circles they were going in. It was getting colder too. Just as Rose was starting to feel miffed over the obvious lack of necessity for such a long distance, the stairway opened up into another door. Rose peeked through the window and, seeing that the coast was clear, blasted open the lock.

They found themselves in a long straight hallway, with heavy metal doors lining either side. Dave glanced between the two sides, then turned to Rose for guidance. Rose started down the hall, eyes flickering between the different doors.

A nagging feeling pulled her forward. She quickened her pace.

“He wouldn’t be in these,” She muttered to Dave, “Something more complex. Higher security.”

“Alright,” Dave glanced over his shoulder, “Uh, are we gonna be able to blow up whatever’s holding him?”

“Hopefully.”

“Right.”

They slowed as they approached the end of the hallway. There was a faint glow coming from one of the doors. Rose swallowed, and her hands clenched tight on her needles.

The doors at the end of the hall were made of a different material than the others, shinier, metallic, and with a passcode lock on the door. Rose glared down at it.

“Did you bring some makeup?” Dave asked, “You could do that trick like on TV, where you powder it or something to pick up the fingerprints.”

“I did not.” Rose pressed her lips together. Guessing a passcode was a little outside her usual tricks. If she got it wrong, would someone be notified?

She would have to trust herself. She closed her eyes, then took a deep breath.

The Light shimmered on the edge of her consciousness. Carefully, she reached out, grasping for it like a florist gathering stems for an arrangement that must be perfect. One by one, she pulled the strands to her, holding them just tight enough to keep them in place without crushing them.

Eyes still closed, she raised one hand, finger hovering over the buttons. She pressed one button, then another, then another, and the final-

A loud bell snapped her out of her thoughts and they both whirled around. The bell rang out three times in a steady, unhurried pace.

“That’s the meal bell,” Rose muttered, “Someone will be down soon to deliver food to the prisoners.” She took several shuddering breaths to quiet her banging heart, then looked back at the door. Dismay welled up inside of her as she stared at the incomplete code.

“I lost it,” She whispered. Dave tore his gaze from the hallways to glance over as well.

“Rose,”

“Hang on.” She closed her eyes again, trying to pull the light back in again, but her momentum was lost, and her concentration wavered with anxiety.

“Rose-”

“It’s just one more number, I should be able to-”

“Rose,” Dave grabbed her wrist, “The numbers you put in. Uh, you didn’t like, see, because your eyes were closed, but you literally just entered the three corners in clockwise.” He pointed at the last number in the corner. “So uh, you got a good feeling about that one?”

“…Well,” Rose stared at the number in uncertainty, “It’s possible it’s not that simple, but…I do have a good feeling.”

“Cool.” Dave pushed the button. The panel dinged and they heard the lock disengage. “Oh Hell yes.”

Rose grasped the door handle and for a moment, was seized by hesitation. She hurriedly pushed it away though, and turned the handle to open the door.

Inside, they paused at the doorway, because the room appeared to be empty. The only contents of the cell were a table, with a glowing jar sitting on top.

“Um,” Dave glanced back out into the hallway, “So-”

“Wait.” Rose’s eyes narrowed as she stared at the jar. It was glowing a bright white, with streaks of the black occasionally flickering up the sides. She crept toward it and, after a beat, picked it up. The jar was large enough that she had to hold it in two hands as she held it up to her eyes. It was hard to see through the light, but she thought she saw a tiny figure sitting against the side of the glass.

“Space magic,” She muttered, “Keeping him contained in a miniaturization field, I’m guessing.” She tapped on the glass, and the figure looked up. There was a brief pause, then the figure scrambled to his feet and pressed his face up against the class, obviously trying to get a better look to see if his eyes were tricking him. Rose smiled faintly and waved her fin ears at him, then passed the jar to Dave.

“Now we just need to get out of here.” She looked around the cell. “We could release the prisoners to create a distraction, but that will tip them off that something is amiss, and that climb up the stairs will give them time to prepare. Sneaking out with that jar may be troublesome. Perhaps we could get a ride out the same way-” She glanced over at Dave, “-What are you doing?”

“Huh?” Dave paused in trying to twist the lid off to look up at her. “Isn’t this what you handed him to me for?”

“I don’t know what opening the jar will do,” Rose told him, “The Space enchantment seems to be limited to the jar. Opening it might break the enchantment, or he may stay tiny, or we may all shrink down as well, or it could kill us all with the backlash.”

“…Huh.” Dave tucked the jar under his arm. “Alright.”

“Maybe you should keep the jar upright?”

“Oh yeah.” Dave began to shift it back.

“SHUT UP YE WELPS!” Irate Alternian barking sounded from the hallway, “YOU’LL GET YER MEALS BUT NOT IF YA DON’T SHUT UP!”

Rose had grabbed her needles in surprise. Dave had done much the same with his sword, and in that moment, the jar slipped out of the soft fabric of his sleeves, to tumble toward the ground.

The glass hit the floor. There was a flash of light and an audible *pop*, and Eridan stood before them among the shards of class, fully sized, shimmering faintly, and mouth agape.

“ **What-** ” He gasped, “-are you **doin** here?!”

“Hey, he’s out.” Dave held up a high-five to Rose, who found no other course of action besides to return it.

“Dave!” Eridan snapped at him. “And Rose! I mean, it’s you guys, ain’t it?” He squinted down at them. “What the fuck are you- Lookin like trolls- Who else is with ya?”

“This is a rescue mission,” Rose informed him, “And it’s just us.”

“I can’t **believe-** ” He started, then the alarms began. Frantic, blaring sounds accompanied by flashing lights outside in the hallway.

“Perhaps this can wait until we’ve absconded from the area?” Rose suggested. Eridan huffed but followed them as they ran out the door.

“We heading up that staircase?” Dave asked. Rose shook her head.

“They’ll have time to prepare, but I don’t know another way out-”

Eridan’s head snapped up. “I hear the ocean,” He said, “Where are we in relation to the rest a the fort?”

“What?” Rose blinked rapidly. “We’re, We’re at the bottom. We had to descend far down a staircase-”

“Is the fort on a cliff?”

“Y, Yes, it was-” Rose’s words were cut off into a sharp gasp as Eridan looped one arm around her waist and hoisted her up. Before she could ask they were moving forward, accelerating rapidly like an airplane speeding up for takeoff.

Right toward the wall.

Rose’s eyes snapped shut and she cringed as the stone rushed up to them. She felt a tingling warmth sweep past her followed by the sound of shattering rock. A cold wind hit her face and she opened her eyes.

They were hovering over a dark ocean. White light glowed around their bodies. She turned her head and saw Dave under Eridan’s other arm, one hand clinging to his wrist and the other holding his glasses in place.

“Where’s the nearest portal?” Eridan barked, and Rose became aware of the sound of shouting behind them.

“That way!” She was pointing before she had a chance to get her bearings. He went zipping off to follow her guidance, at the same time several offshoots of light soared out around them, all heading in different directions. Their own glow faded to a more subdued tone, though it couldn’t disappear completely.

“That should throw most a the attention off,” Eridan grunted. “Where?”

“It’s on the hill with the two trees over there.” Rose pointed it out for him, and he glided over to touch down, then dropped the two of them. Rose landed on all fours and didn’t try to get up. Her entire body was shaking with adrenaline. After a few moments, she felt a cold hand hook under her arm and pull her too her feet.

“Ok,” Eridan pressed the heels of his palms to his temples and squeezed his eyes shut. “What, how, why??”

“A disguise, half a plan, and a healthy dose of luck,” Rose answered, “You’re welcome.”

“You coulda been killed!” Eridan roared, “Or, Or worse!”

“That’s what we were thinking about you,” Rose said softly. Eridan closed his mouth, then his arms dropped to his sides. He didn’t provide a retort, so Rose took the moment to fish out the folded scarf she had tucked away in her bag.

“Here.” She held it out to him. “This is yours, I believe.” Eridan took the scarf, then peered at her as his face twisted into an unsure expression.

“Um,” He started, “So…” Rose offered him a faint smile, and his face broke into a relieved smile as the tension drained out of his body.

“We have some things to talk about,” She told him, “But for now, let us bounce.”

Eridan nodded, then slung both his arms around their necks, pulling them closer.

“You two are both full fledged magicians now,” He announced, “And I’m proud a ya. Let’s get outta here. Hold on.”

Eridan recited the transportation spell. They left the Alternian night behind to appear in the university, where they found themselves surrounded by about twenty people, with Karkat standing at the front, arms crossed.

“WELL, WELL, LOOK WHO’S BACK!!” His enraged announcement was loud enough for his voice to echo around the room, “ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR FUCKING **MIND**?! WHAT THE HELL WERE YOU THINKING?!” Dave shrugged.

“Chill man, we came back.”

“IT’S A MIRACLE YOU DID!!” Karkat threw his hands up, “I CAN’T BELIEVE YOU JUST WALTZED INTO THE CONDESCE’S TERRITORY LIKE IT WAS A FUCKING WALK TO THE PARK! DID YOU THINK ABOUT WHAT COULD HAVE HAPPENED!?”

“Well,” Rose rocked back on her heels, “Seer powers.”

“ **FUCK** SEER POWERS!!” He snarled, “FUCK YOU ALL YOU FUCKING BLITHERING IDIOTS!” And with that, he spun around and stomped out of the room, shoving people aside as he passed. The rest of the crowd, seeming satisfied that they were ok, started to disperse as well.

“Well then,” Rose deactivated her illusion to return to a human. “Do you think he’s really mad?”

“He was just worried.” Eridan ruffled her hair. “And with good reason. Don’t ever do shit like that again, alright? I don’t care if I’m dyin.” Rose hummed in response.

“No promises.” Eridan snorted.

“Figures, come on, let’s-”

“Well wasn’t this fucking dainty?” A voice cut through the departing crowds. “I finally haul my ass all the way out here-” A tall, blond human man appeared, striding toward them with his hands in his pockets, “-only to hear my little bro went on some suicide mission to save a Seadweller.” He stopped to give the three of them a look over behind pointed shades. “Huh. Came back in one piece. Not bad.”

Rose cocked an eye at the man, then glanced at Dave, mouth opening to ask for an explanation. At that moment, Eridan’s hand went extremely tight on her shoulder, making her look up at him instead.

He was staring at the man with an expression of blank shock, mouth half-open and eyes wide as if he wasn’t sure what he was seeing. Then a second later his face shifted into a snarl and he pulled both Rose and Dave closer.

“What the FUCK are you doin here?!” He snapped. The man tilted his head ever-so-slightly to the side.

“I’m here to check up on my lil bro,” He jerked his chin at Dave, who was standing perfectly still beside Eridan, “If that wasn’t somehow completely obvious.”

Eridan didn’t say anything. He looked at the man, then at Dave, then back at the man. Slowly, his eyes stretched wide in some kind of grand epiphany, then they narrowed down to slits and a slow, dangerous tension started to raise in his shoulders. A flash of awareness appeared in Rose’s mind.

Eridan was going to try to kill this man.

She looped an arm around his waist just as he started forward. “Eridan.” She spoke firmly, trying to keep the bewildered tone out of her voice. “Calm down.” Eridan growled and tugged on her hold.

“Rose,” His tone had gone cold and hard, like steel, “don’t grab me like that all of a sudden, and step back.”

The man lowered his chin to fix his eyes on Rose. She stiffened, feeling his gaze boring into her.

“…Cute,” He finally said, “You training her to be your next diamond? That’s a little sick, man.”

“Shut the rancid trap that you call a protein chute.” Eridan snapped. “I swear to whatever’s out there that-”

“Eridan,” Dave was suddenly in front of Eridan, one hand pushing him back. “That’s, That’s just my bro. It’s cool.” Eridan’s head jerked down to glare at him, and Dave released him to step back.

“Anyways,” The man made a quick beckoning gesture. “Hey lil man, c’mere for a second. Got some stuff to talk about.” Dave moved forward but Eridan’s hand flashed out and caught his wrist.

“No,” Eridan growled. The man’s eyebrow quirked upwards.

“Excuse me?” His tone was casual enough, but Rose could see the minute tension rising in his body, a subtle show that he was ready to fight. “I’m here, to talk with little bro.” The man inclined his head just a little. “Thanks for kidnapping him, by the way. Saved money on a babysitter, I guess.”

“Eridan,” Rose hissed under her breath at him, “Do you know him?” She felt like she should be scolding him for his behavior, but something about this man was making her edgy as well. She wasn’t sure if she should pull Eridan’s hand off, or take hold of Dave’s other arm.

Eridan’s lip curled back, then he spoke to Dave without taking his eyes off the man.

“Dave, you don’t have to go with him. Whatever he’s gotta the tell you, I can.”

“Dude,” Dave tugged at the arm on his wrist, and when Eridan didn’t let go he manually grabbed it and pulled it off. “It’s, It’s fine. I’ll talk with him.” Eridan hesitated, and shot one more glare at the man.

“I will be-” Eridan jabbed his finger at the ground. “- **right here**. Twenty feet away. Ok?”

“Yeah, ok, cool.” Dave jerked his hands up in a double-thumbs up at him, then kind of trotted sideways over to the man, turning to face him as he approached.

“Hey little guy.” The man ruffled his hair. “Let’s talk.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unsurprising Development, Genuine Distress.
> 
> Gee, I wonder who this Douchebag is. Gee, I wonder what's got Eridan so riled up. Gee, I wonder if there's any big reveal that going to happen at some point. (At least that's what Rose is probably thinking.)
> 
> I’m so glad Eridan went about his improvised breakout plan in that way because “I’m gonna grab the both a you and charge headfirst through where I think the end of the cliff is.” Would have been received much more negatively.
> 
> I feel like Rose's emotions when meeting the Condesce were like, 99% pure terror, and 1% uncomfortable crushing.


	12. The Trick up My Sleeve

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which awkward talks are had, the Seer is enlightened, and pretty much everyone has a pretty bad day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's late. In this chapter, food is wasted and people die. 
> 
> What a weird fic. Eridan hates Dirk and is on good terms with Feferi.   
> Honestly, the whole situation makes me kind of sad. Eridan having to deal without his moirail, missing her dearly. Poor guy. I wonder what the look on his face would be if he saw her again.  
> Anyways, time for Rose to learn the thing that everyone else probably knows by now, but not before some awkward dramatic irony.

Rose sat on the bench, legs crossed and finger tapping restlessly on her knee. Eridan was in front of her, pacing back and forth and shooting glares at the two men sitting several meters away. They had moved outdoors, to a secluded area. Rose couldn’t hear what they were saying, but the conversation had gone on for a rather long time.

“So,” She finally worked up the courage to ask, “Do you know Dave’s brother from somewhere?” Eridan’s head whipped around to look at her. His eyes flickered to Dave’s brother, then back to glare at her.

“Have you ever seen’m before?!” He demanded instead. Rose blinked, then her mouth pursed into a frown.

“It’s rude to answer a question with a question.”

“Answer mine first,” He snapped, “I don’t think, you guys never went to Dave’s house. You were always comin to ours, right? But, have you ever seen him before?” His harsh tone of voice had her deciding not to argue.

“No,” She answered, “Dave showed me pictures a few times, but I never met him personally.” Eridan grumbled something in Alternian and went back to pacing and shooting glances at Dave and his brother. Dave was looking at Eridan every so often, but his brother hadn’t glanced his way once.

“So, I take it that you know him?” Rose pressed, letting a little of her impatience show.

“We’ve met,” Eridan grunted.

“You don’t like him.”

“I don’t.”

“Why?”

Eridan paused, then turned away, crossing his arms and glaring at the man beside Dave.

“Old history.”

Rose rolled her eyes.

“Care to elaborate?”

“No.”

Rose glowered at the back of his skull. He ignored her.

Dave’s brother got up, as did Dave. Rose got to her feet as Dave started to walk toward them. Eridan watched him approach, then abruptly spun around and went stalking away back into the university. Rose frowned, then glanced back at Dave’s brother. The area around the bench was empty. She blinked. She had only looked away for a second-

“Hey.” She turned her attention back to Dave. He jerked his head toward where Eridan had gone. “Eridan’s kinda pissed, huh?”

“Indeed.” She sat down again and propped her chin in her hands. “He steadfastly refused to give me any answers. Did your brother say anything about him?”

“Not really.” Dave sat down next to her. He seemed, stiff. Rose watched him out of the corner of her eye.

“What **did** he want to talk about, then?”

Dave was silent for a long time, staring across the courtyard at where he’d previously been sitting with his brother. Rose tried not to let her annoyance show, but even so her foot tapped restlessly on the ground.

“He talked about-” Dave finally started, “Um-” He ducked his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “…You.” Rose arched an eyebrow at him.

“Me?”

“Um, yeah, and like, women, and uh,” Dave made some vague, hapless gesture in the air. “-responsibility.” Rose’s eyebrows crawled a little higher, then she snorted.

“ **Well** then.”

“I know, right?” Dave flicked his hands out in a show of disbelief. “Brothers. You-” He reached up to rub the back of his neck. His voice strained a little as he continued. “You’re lucky you don’t have one, huh?” Rose gave him an odd look.

“I…suppose so?”

“Anyways,” Dave continued with an unusually aggressive energy, “I’m gonna, um, go, shower or something. See ya later.” He vanished in a flash of red light, leaving Rose blinking rapidly. It was uncommon for Dave to use his powers for such casual needs. Rose felt her unease and curiosity mounting.

She decided to go find where Eridan had gone off to.

He was being purposefully elusive, she could tell, but a few lucky guesses and some intuition had her climbing up a staircase and finding him at the top, sitting up on a windowsill and staring out at the city below.

Rose stood up straight and cleared her throat before tucking her hands behind her back.

“So-” She started.

“Jack Noir killed your mom.” He grunted without looking up at her. Rose opened her mouth to retort, but the words died in her throat as his words registered.

“J…I…what?” Her voice had gone embarrassingly squeaky. Eridan finally looked over at her, then his eyes widened before he slapped his hand over his forehead and groaned.

“ **Fuck**. That wasn’t the right way to go about that. That was fuckin terrible. I, fuck, sorry.”

“I…” She blinked slowly, “-need to sit down.” She sunk down to her knees right in the middle of the hallway, staring down at the stone tiles. Eridan hopped off the windowsill and walked over to join her.

“You ok?”

“You told me it was an accident,” She murmured. Her voice was still weak, but there was a trace of anger, a trace of accusation.” Eridan’s eyes flickered to the side as he sat down next to her.

“Rose I, what was I **supposed** to say? You were **ten** and you didn’t-”

“I didn’t know about any of this,” She cut in, “I was ignorant of all of this, ignorant that my mother was murdered by a general of the Condesce.” Eridan winced.

“Rose, I know this is hard, and you got a right to be pissed and all that…” Rose didn’t answer. She stared down at her shoes, tapping her fingers against the floor.

“Are there any other dramatic misconceptions about my life?” She asked sarcastically. The uncomfortable silence she got in return made her head snap up in disbelief. “ **Are** there?” Eridan’s face twisted up before he crossed his arms and turned away.

“None that I have any business tellin ya.” Rose gaped at him.

“You **cannot** be serious.”

“Look, you’ll know one day.” Eridan got up, “Hell, maybe I’ll tell you tomorrow. But today’s had enough a that.” Rose glared at him, and he shrugged helplessly. “Please?” Rose closed her eyes, then sighed and nodded. She didn’t want to admit it, but she wasn’t sure she had the mental capacity for anything else exciting today.

“I’m going to take a shower,” She muttered, “And turn in early, but you aren’t off the hook yet.” Eridan nodded, looking a mix between relieved and anxious.

“Get some rest. You need it.” He reached up, hesitated, then let his hand fall down on her head to ruffle her hair. “And, we’ll get this sorted out. We’ll get everythin sorted out. Promise. Just gimme a little time to prepare myself, alright?”

“Deal.”

 

000

 

Dave sat on the roof of the university, tossing seeds out to the crows that had gathered there. One of them hopped up to perch on his knee. Dave recognized it from the spot on its head as one of the regulars.

“Hey buddy,” He carefully reached out, then gave it a little pat on the head. “How’s the wife and kids? Got them toilet trained yet?”

“Dave.” He twisted around to look at Eridan standing behind him, looking a little unsteady on the slight slant of the roof.

“Sup?” Dave asked. The crow took flight as Eridan walked toward him.

“Are you…” Eridan started, “…alright?”

“Yeah.” Dave flashed him a thumbs-up. “I’m cool, man.”

“Dave, I know what he told you.”

Dave didn’t answer. He turned away and tossed more seeds out to the birds. Eridan stood there for a bit, then shuffled over and sat down next to him.

“Did you like, know?” Dave asked.

“Hell no.” Eridan crossed his legs, tugging his cloak away from the curious birds. “Not until I saw him. Fuck, I’m…I’m so fuckin sorry, Dave. I didn’t know… **he** was your guardian.” Dave shrugged.

“It’s cool.”

“It’s not.” Eridan growled.

“It is,” Dave insisted, “And like, it doesn’t matter anymore. B, Bro, he basically stopped by just to say ‘you guys take care of him now.’ And I dunno, I’m pretty damn cool with that.” He turned to look out at the city. “This place is, it’s pretty cool. Y’know, magic and stuff.”

“I’ll take care a ya,” Eridan said suddenly. Dave turned to quirk an eyebrow at him.

“You?” Eridan shrugged, looking a little sheepish.

“If ya think I’ll be any better.”

“Dude, you know you don’t have to. Skaia’s already like, setting stuff up.”

“I will,” Eridan answered, with just a touch of aggression. “To make up for…shitty lack a noticin. Just come to me for whatever.”

“Dude,” Out of birdseed, Dave let his hands rest in his lap, “I already kinda do.”

“Uh,” Eridan blinked several times, “Oh.”

“Cool.” Dave held his fist out at him. Eridan stared at it blankly.

“What?”

“Wow, ok.” Dave mimed bumping his own fists together, “Like this.” He held his fist out again, and after a bit of hesitation, Eridan tapped his knuckles against his own.

“…Alright.” Eridan lowered his fist. “…So, are ya gonna tell Rose?”

“Hell no.” Dave ducked his head and fixed his glasses. “You tell her.”

“What?” Eridan pressed his hand over his chest. “ **I** ain’t gonna tell her. I already traumatized her plenty with some other stuff!”

“So I have to do it?” Eridan’s face twisted up in displeasure, then he sighed and rubbed his forehead.

“No, wait, I’ll tell her. You, You’re probably reeling from this as well.”

“No dude, wait, it’s fine.” Dave waved his hand. “I’ll tell her. I should tell her.”

“No, this is my responsibility. I can’t make you do this.”

“Dude, ok, ok.” Dave reached up and grabbed his shoulders. “I’ll be straight with you, I want to tell her because I’m kind of scared how you will.” Eridan scowled at him.

“…I hate that you have a point.”

Dave shrugged. “It’s cool. This just, really isn’t your area of expertise.”

“ **None** a childcare is my area of expertise,” Eridan spat back, “I still can’t believe Rox put me in charge a this. Probably because she didn’t have any better to turn to.”

“Dude.”

“Sorry, sorry.” Eridan groaned and pressed his hands to his temples. “Are you, are you sure about this?”

“Yeah.” Dave nodded. “Yeah, I am.”

“Alright.” Eridan hesitated, then gingerly raised his fist again, cocking his head in question. Dave’s mouth twitched and he gave it a gentle bump with his own.

“Cool.”

 

000

 

Dave’s brother tightened the drawstring around his back, spinning it around with an expert flair before tossing it over his shoulder. He then straightened up.

“Come to see me off?” He spoke to Eridan, who was leaning on the doorframe behind him, arms crossed.

“More like wish ya good riddance,” He growled. His hands clenched tight on his arms. “I’d make sure it was permanent, if I could. You’ve got a lot a nerve havin your back turned to me.”

“I see you didn’t lose your overdramatic theatrics.” He spun around to face him, on hand holding his back while the other rested in his pocket. “We both know you wouldn’t dare.”

“Only cause I’m tryin not to get kicked out by Skaia.”

“Uh-huh.”  Dave’s brother popped his hat on, a bright orange cap. “Well, guess I should be glad you eventually learned not to go rabid on anything that blinked at you.” He earned another low growl for the comment.

“…This ain’t how it had to be.” Some of the anger in Eridan’s voice wavered into regret, disappointment. “You were always an asshole but so was I. You should’ve stayed, stayed with her instead a clinging to those agents a Heart who kept tellin you about some grand scheme you’d play in this world. You should’ve just stayed Dirk, instead a-”

“Instead of the Prince of Heart?” Dirk interrupted him, “That’s a bit hypocritical, coming from you.” Eridan’s eyes sharpened. Dirk began to walk slowly, circling around him toward the door.

“Heard you took down the Prince of Rage,” He continued. His voice had gone soft, with a hard tone flickering underneath. “Not bad, guess that leaves just us, huh?”

“A title doesn’t put us in some cozy clique.” Eridan snarled back.

“You so sure about that?” Dirk shifted his weight. Eridan could feel his eyes boring into him behind his shades. “…The Land of Wrath and Angels, declared unfit for pilgrimages of Hope for the past 30 years or so. Why?” Eridan’s fists clenched tight at his sides.

“Shut-”

“Because the angels have been missing for all that time. Haven’t returned.” Dirk shrugged. “People are starting to think they just…won’t.”

“Shut up!” Eridan snapped. Dirk stopped moving, and instead stood with his feet set apart and his gaze locked on Eridan.

“It was that stunt that got you your title. Ripping out Mindfang’s soul is what got me mine. We aren’t so different.” Dirk’s mouth twitched upwards, just a little. “We’re both fighters, both destroyers. Cut the ‘higher-than-thou’ crap. Makes you look like a bigot.” Eridan didn’t answer, so Dirk continued, “Heard you got involved in some nasty stuff, got an interesting mark on your arm.” Dirk cocked his head to the side. “And you’re lecturing **me** on bad influences? Honestly, I’m thinking maybe I should be questioning letting you be in charge of that little Seer there-”

In a single snap of movement Eridan was right up against him, one hand fisted tight in the collar of his shirt. He snarled, his teeth bristling just centimeters from Dirk’s cool expression.

“Strider, or whatever name you go by these days, I will say it **once:** If you value your body in the number a pieces it’s in right now, you will not even fuckin **try**.” Dirk stared back at him, then slowly, his hand went up to grasp at the sword hanging on his belt.

“You wanna do this?” He asked quietly. Eridan grunted and released his collar, spinning around to storm toward the doorway.

“Get out of here. Don’t come back. Don’t come near Rose **or** Dave.”

“Or else what?” Dirk called after him.

“Don’t act like you need me to tell you.” Eridan shot back before slamming the door behind him.

 

000

 

“He’s leaving?”

“Yup.” Dave didn’t look up from the object in his lap as he answered. Rose leaned back on the wall, studying him. He was running his hands over what appeared to be an oversized snowboard, thicker than usual, with a flame motif.

“And he’s not taking you with him…I assume?”

“Nope.” He fiddled with a set of buttons near the front. “He’s just bouncing.”

“Are you…” Rose hesitated, unsure how much she should probe. “Concerned?”

“Nope. Hey, check this out.” Dave held the board up for her to see. “He gave this to me, as like, a parting gift or something.” He tossed it on the ground, where it froze to hover a foot above the pavement. He stepped on it to demonstrate how strong it was. Rose nodded.

“Very cool.”

“It's kind of like a skateboard, with a few extra kicks.” He hooked his foot under it and tossed it back into his lap. “Just gotta make sure I don’t break my neck learning how to use it, which naturally is gonna be a walk in the park for me. I’ll have it down in a day, tops.”

Rose offered a pinched smile, her eyebrows drawing together. “I see.”

He was definitely tense about something. Rose didn’t blame him; it had been a hectic series of events. The problem was trying to figure out **exactly** what was bothering him.

“Dave…” Rose sat down on the bed with him, folding her hands neatly on her lap. “Is there anything you want to tell me?” Dave’s head snapped up to look at her.

“Why? Your Seer powers tell you?”

“No, just a history of several years as your friend.”

“Oh.”

“I take that as a yes?”

“Uh…”

“I take that as a ‘maybe’?” She pressed.

“Uhhhh…” He ducked his head to rub the back of his neck. “…yeah.”

“Ok.” Rose straightened her back and nodded encouragingly to him. “Take your time.”

Dave stared down at the board in his lap, then looked up at the door.

“You wanna go mess around town?”

“Er,” Rose glanced out the window. It **was** a rather nice day. Her eyes flickered back to Dave, then she sighed and nodded. “Sure. Why not?”

“Cool cool.” He hopped off the bed, tucking his board under one arm. “I can show you some sick tricks on this thing outside.”

He strode across the room and opened the door to reveal Eridan, fist poised as if about to knock. He blinked, then let his hand fall awkwardly down again and cleared his throat.

“Um, hey.”

“Hey,” Dave answered while Rose stood up from the bed.

“Uh,” Eridan shuffled awkwardly, ducking his head to fiddle with his robe, “Was wonderin if you guys needed anythin?”

“We’re…” Dave glanced at Rose, who shrugged. “We’re good. Thanks.”

“It’s…a nice day out?” Eridan jerked his head down the hall. “Ter says, they’re selling shaved ice at that parlor with the birds for half-off. You wanna like, head over?”

 

000

 

Rose was starting to feel sick. She eyed the cone of ice cream she had gotten, wondering if it was the cause. She figured it was unlikely, because now that she thought about it, she had been feeling mildly queasy since she had gotten up this morning. It hadn’t been enough to draw notice, but as she walked down the loud street in the hot weather, it was starting to weigh on her.

She snuck a glance at Dave, who was walking beside her, his own ice cream melting untouched in his hand.

“Are you feeling ok?” She asked. He looked up at her.

“What?”

“You haven’t touched your cone. It’s going to be a sodden mess on your hands soon enough.

He looked down at the cone, then tossed it into the trash as they passed it, wiping his hand down on his pants. Rose expected Eridan to protest the waste, but he was oddly silent as well.

Another wave of nausea hit her and she slowed her pace. Eridan glanced down at her.

“You alright, Rose?”

“Yes, I believe so.” She murmured. “The heat’s just affecting me a little.”

“Let’s move over there.” Eridan gestured to a shady spot against a building. Rose tossed her own cone out as they headed over.

It was a little more comfortable in the shade, and Rose pushed away her queasiness to shoot Dave a meaningful look. Dave caught it, hesitated, then shot a similar look to Eridan. Eridan stared back blankly, then seemed to catch on because he straightened up.

“Uh,” He took a step back, then jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I’m gonna just…go around the block or something.” Rose cocked an eyebrow at him, but nodded.

“Very well, we’ll be right here.”

“Right.” His eyes flickered to Dave for a second, then he turned and went walking swiftly away.

Rose turned back to Dave. He was leaning against the wall, staring at the ground.

“So,” He started, but Rose could hardly hear him. An irritating pounding had rose up in her ears. She felt dizzy, and leaned against the wall with him. She pressed her hand over her chest and her mouth turned down in thought.

“You ok?” Dave asked.

“Yes,” She nodded, “Yes I…I’m fine. Please go on.” Dave paused, then nodded.

“So, um…It’s like this…” At his words, the sick feeling in Rose’s stomach twisted and bloomed. She dug her fingers into her nails. Her intuition was pushing against her curiosity. It made her want to scream in frustration or burst into tears or hit something. She suddenly felt like running away, cutting Dave off, covering her ears.

She didn’t want to know.

But she had to, so whatever it was, she pushed the feeling away to listen.

“Rose, you’re like…” Dave sucked in a breath through his nose, then gestured to Rose with both hands. “-my sister.” Rose blinked, then offered a faint smile in return.

“Thank you, Dave. I also think of you as-”

“No.” Dave thrust his palm out at her to stop her. “Nonono I mean,” He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut. “Jesus Christ.” Rose steadied herself on the wall, feeling her legs wobbling.

“Dave?”

“You are literally my sister.” Dave jerked his hands at her with each word to drive the point home. “My bro, he, he’s the father, my father, our father, fuck. He told,” His voice began to rise, in frustration, excitement, anger, Rose couldn’t tell. “-he told your mom and Eridan that I was a stillborn, since Eridan wasn’t allowed in, and your mom was like, y’know. And he took me away, because apparently, he knew you’d be a Seer so he’s been shaping me up to be the perfect Knight. He knew. He knew all this shit, and now…” He spread his arms out, “…now here- here I fucking am.”

Rose stared at him. He stared back. Suddenly everything seemed so quiet and still, like a little bubble had closed up around them, blocking out the rest of the world. Everything was so far away except Dave’s silent, lost face looking back at her. The crowds on the streets had gone soft and muffled, the hot air had gone still and dead, and behind that barrier, slowly, Rose became aware of the drone of an alarm rising to her ears.

“What-” Dave's voice snapped them out of it as he looked around. “-the Hell is that?” The alarm continued to blare, and now people were running all around them, panic charging the air.

A gust of wind crashed into them, carrying a familiar voice. “Hey!” They looked up as John materialized out of the air in front of them, arms splayed out as he floated on the wind. His usually cheerful face wore an urgent expression.

“It's Jack!” He shouted before they could ask. “He's here! You guys get to the university! I'm scattering everyone's scents!” He dissipated again.

“Shit!” Dave tossed his board down onto the street, where it froze and hovered half a foot over the air. He placed one foot on it and held an arm out to Rose. “Get on. Think I can get us there faster.” She nodded and took his hand, stepping into the board behind him. He wrapped one arm around her waist while the other went out for balance, then they went shooting down the street.

Rose kept one hand on Dave's side and drew her needles out of her sash with the other. She closed her eyes, reaching out for any obstacles they would run into. Her eyes snapped open in alarm.

“Dave!” She tugged at his shirt urgently. “Go right, take the other way-”

He turned to look at her in surprise but it was too late. He'd already turned into the shortcut that would take them through the square. He looked forward again and the board froze, lurching them both forward.

The first thing they saw was Dave's brother (Dave's father, Rose's father), standing with his back to them. His sword hung limp in his hand at his side, while another blade sprouted out of the small of his back.

Dave stumbled off the board just as his father crumpled to the ground. Standing above the body was some, monster. It appeared to be a humanoid figure, but a wolf's head sat on its shoulders. Mangled wings sprouted from its back, as well as a pair of black tendrils from its waist. Rose's throat caught as she realized this had to be none other than Jack Noir.

Rose jumped off the board as well. Her eyes went from the lifeless form, to Jack, to Dave, who stood rigid, sword gripped so tight his fingers had gone white. 

“Dave,” Rose reached out to grip his sleeve. He was trembling. “Dave, don't. We need to-”

He charged, breaking out of her hold to run straight for Jack, sword raised. Jack jerked his head up and growled, his own weapon raised to face the opponent.

A comet of white light shot in between them, crashing into the pavement and throwing up a cloud of dust and smoke. Rose rushed forward and opened her arms just in time to catch Dave thrown back into her chest. They stumbled back but somehow managed to keep their footing. Dave put one arm on her shoulder for support as they looked back toward the cloud.

“Dave! Rose!” Eridan snapped at them as his form appeared from the smoke. His back was to them as he faced Jack. “Get outta here!” Rose shook off her shock to scowl at him.

“What happened to being full-fledged magicians?”

“Rose,” Eridan answered with a tone hard enough to cut steel. “Get. Out.” Before she could answer he reached for his left arm, pulling back to sleeve in one smooth motion.

Voices crashed into Rose. Terrible, deafening voices. Screaming, shrieking, growling, roaring. She shouted and clapped her hands over her ears, squeezing her eyes shut. It didn’t help. She cracked her eyes opened again to see Eridan spread both his hands out. He tipped his head back and opened his mouth. A terrifying, unearthly scream flew from his throat and a shockwave echoed out from his feet, making Rose stumble back. Tendrils of darkness began to rise from his arm, spreading down to wrap around his chest and crawl down his legs. White light gathered around him before it abruptly turned pitch black and his shadow began to boil at his feet.

Rose felt a hand gripping her arm. Dave tugged her back but she refused to move, instead staring transfixed at Eridan. The voices in her head continued to scream, twisting through her mind and sending shivers through her body.

A creature erupted out of Eridan’s shadow, growing long spiny arms to claw its way out of the ground. Crooked wings sprouted from its back and its head split to create a gaping mouth bristling with sharp edges. With a shriek, it hurled itself into the air. More of its kind followed, rising from Eridan’s feet to take to the sky and circle around him.

Jack came storming out of the dust. One of the creatures swooped down to charge him. In a flash of movement too fast to see, he had swept his sword through the air and cleaved the thing in half, leaving the pieces to spatter on the ground. He growled, ears pinned back as he glared at Eridan.

“Rose.” Dave pulled her a little harder. “C’mon. We should-” Rose stumbled back a few steps with his force, then a sharp pang of anxiety shot through her stomach.

“No!” She gasped and yanked her hand out of his grip. “We, we can’t. If I leave, something terrible. Something terrible will-”

Eridan turned to look back at Dave and Rose. Eyes that had gone completely white narrowed, and he spoke through a harsh snarl. He spoke words that were not English, yet still through the strange growls and murmurs Rose could hear the meaning.

“Get outta here!”

Rose felt Dave wrap his arms around her waist. He hoisted her up over his shoulder and went sprinting away down the street.

 

000

 

Dave ran at least a mile through the streets, turning streets with a lack of hesitation that could only mean he was choosing at random. Rose didn’t have the strength to protest or struggle. The voices raged through her mind, nonsensical but still giving her feelings of bloodlust and rage. Coupled with them was a feeling of such powerful dread and fear that she felt like she was going to throw up.

They took cover in an abandoned shopping stall, pulling the metal fence door down and ducking behind the counter. Rose hunched over and pressed the palms of her hands to her temples. The voices hadn’t faded. If anything, they felt like they had gotten louder. It was so overwhelming that she didn’t notice until Dave grabbed her arm to steady her that heavy tremors had begun to shake the ground intermittently. Rose tried to close her eyes again, but when she did images flashed through her mind, writhing beings that she would never be able to describe, big as cities and of such grotesque and terrifying forms that she felt her stomach turning in rejection.

It went on for hours, or minutes. Long enough for the sweat to crawl down Rose’s back and for her to grow accustomed to the tremors, but not the voices.

And then there were gone. The voices were gone. The images were gone. The shaking was gone. Rose blinked rapidly, then looked over at Dave. He stared back, then peeked over the counter. Silence filled the air, too tense and too complete to be comfortable.

Rose felt a pang of urgency and she yanked Dave down again. A second later they heard something.

Footsteps.

Rose closed her eyes for a second and willed her heartbeat to not sound so loud, then opened them again. In the reflection of a mirror on the wall, she could see the street outside.

A wolflike head appeared in the mirror’s view and Rose felt her heart freeze up. Jack Noir stalked down the street slowly. His muzzle and body were coated with splotches of both bright red and dark violet. He growled, scratching at one of the red marks, then raised his head toward the sky.

He sniffed the air, his head twisting this way and that. One of his ears twitched and he turned toward the storefront. Rose went rigid, and she squeezed Dave’s hand tight. She couldn’t help thinking about how flimsy the metal fencing would be against him, how easily ripped apart.

Jack took a step toward the store. An angry shriek pierced the air before a black mass of feathers crashed into the side of his head. At first Rose thought it was one of the creature that had appeared from Eridan’s shadow, but as Jack snarled and snapped at it she realized it was just a crow. Several more birds flew in to beat around his face, dodging his teeth and pestering his eyes and ears.

Jack roared in frustration and the crows scattered. He shook his head, then his entire body flashed green. Rose blinked, and when her eyes opened again he had disappeared. She swallowed, then closed her eyes.

“He’s gone,” She whispered, “He’s left. He’s not coming back.” Dave hesitated, then slowly got up. Rose followed suit, using the counter to support her shaking legs.

They pulled the fence up again and stepped out into the street. Several crows flew down to land in front of them. The one in front look particularly proud, its feathers all fluffed up, and Rose somehow knew it had been the first one to attack.

“Shit guys.” Dave knelt down in front of them. “We owe y’all. I’m talking like, a whole tub of bread.”

“Dave,” Rose stared down the street, “We need to find Eridan.” Dave nodded and got up.

“Thanks again guys.” The birds took off, leaving the two standing alone in a dead silent city. After a brief hesitation, then took off together, walking in the direction of where Eridan had been.

No sounds greeted them as they headed down the street. It gave the city, which had been bustling with life only an hour ago, the impression of a ghost town. Rose wondered where everyone had gone. Hiding in their basements, perhaps? Too scared to come out just yet?

“Rose! Dave!”

They jumped and spun around. Kanaya was striding toward them, holding a serrated sword in on hand. She stopped to look them over, and her shoulders sagged with relief when she saw they were unharmed. “Thank the gods. Are you two alright?”

“Have you seen Eridan?” Rose asked instead. Kanaya blinked, then her face went tight.

“We felt the power outflow with his signature, and we did see him fighting Jack earlier in the sky. It was…quite the spectacle.” The thick tone that her voice had, like she was fighting to keep it level, sent a shiver of unease through Rose.

“Do you-” Rose’s hands tightened on the wands at her side. “Do you know where he is now?” Kanaya didn’t answer, then her eyes flickered to the side to examine a storefront whose windows had been blown out.

“…I do not.”

“He used the mark on his arm.” Now Rose could feel her own voice wavering. “It was, he was, is he going to be alright? Will there be any side effects?”

Kanaya closed her eyes. Her muscles shifted and tightened under her skin before she opened them again. The emotions pooling her jade eyes, dark but resolute, did nothing to comfort Rose.

“It was the mark of Grimdark,” Kanaya told him, “Eridan communed with the Horrerterrors, and they offered him their power. By activating the mark, it gave him great magical strength, but no doubt also caused great strain and damage to him both physically and mentally. It is a sure way to drive someone insane, turning them into a raging, and powerful beast.” She looked away. “Once it is activated, the enchantment cannot be broken. It will only end at death.”

Rose went stiff. Slowly, horror began to creep up her stomach before she violently pushed it down again, shaking her head.

“Any enchantment can be broken,” She growled. “It may just have to take some study and creativity, that’s all.” Kanaya’s mouth turned down.

“Rose-”

“I will find Eridan,” Rose told her firmly, “And he will recognize me, and we’ll fix this.” At that she turned and went running back down the street.

Dave felt into step beside her. He didn’t say anything, and for that Rose was tremendously grateful.

As they neared the square, Rose’s steps slowed as she looked up at the sky. Dave slowed with her, and soon they were standing still, staring upwards.

Feathers filled the air, drifting on the wind like falling snow. One swirled close to Dave, and he reached out. At his touch, it dissolved into a shower or fading lights.

“Concentrated Hope,” Rose muttered. “Crystalized into this state.” She tilted her head back to watch them falling. “…A vast amount of Hope magic must have been released into the atmosphere.” She looked forward and broke into a run again, too anxious to continue on at a slower pace.

They arrived at the square, or what was left of it. It more resembled a dusty parking lot than a place to gather. Eridan was nowhere to be seen.

“Can you find him?” Dave asked. Rose nodded and closed her eyes. She imagined Eridan’s face and reached outwards.

A massive wave of nausea crashed into her and she fell to her knees, gasping and retching at the ground. Dave knelt down beside her, one hand hovering over her neck and the other lightly touching her arm.

“Whoa, whoa, what is it?”

“Forward,” She gasped, “He’s…forward. Ahead.” She tried to push herself up, but her shaking arms refused to move. Dave wound an arm around her and helped her up.

“You need to sit and rest-?”

“No.” She shook her head. “No, no, we need to go **now**.” She forced her legs forward, stumbling a little before managing to make her way to the other side of the square.

The feathers continued to fall around them, growing more numerous as they moved forward. When they touched the ground or buildings they flaked apart, fading into nothing. Rose watched them out of the corner of her eye. She had read about similar phenomena, but only in an Aspect Land, with the manipulation of one or several experienced magicians. Even without having an aptitude for Hope, she could feel the sheer power that was charging the atmosphere. It was as if so much magic was being released into the air it was becoming a land on its own. She swallowed down the bile rising in her throat and forced herself to walk faster.

What had to have been the remains of half a building blocked their way. In a fit of sudden frustration and rage Rose whipped her wands out at it and threw her power forward. Thick ropes of light shot into the debris, blowing it apart and nearly hitting them with a few flung rocks. Rose shook her head and blinked the grit out of her eyes before squinting through the dust.

Eridan lay in the center of the street, eyes closed and body unmoving in the storm of feathers floating around him.

“Eridan?” Rose called out to him, then broke into a run. When she got closer she realized with a heavy revulsion that his stomach had been sliced through, his shirt torn to show glistening violet underneath. She gulped, then fell to her knees behind his head.

“Eridan…” She gingerly reached for his cheek, then jerked back as he stirred. His eyes slid open halfway (back to their yellow and violet colors) and slowly moved over to look at her.

“Rox?” He croaked. Rose gave a weak laugh and leaned over him.

“N-Not quite. Don’t move. I’ll call Kanaya-” His face broke into a shaky grin.

“Missed ya, Rox,” He whispered. Rose’s face fell into a frown.

“E…Eridan no, it’s me. It’s Rose.” He didn’t answer. He had a strange glazed look in his eyes, and as Rose looked closer she noticed something off about them. There was a light in them, one that she had never noticed until now as she could see it fading. Sharp pangs pierced her chest like spears of ice and she seized his face in both her hands, pressing her palms hard against his cheeks.

“Eridan look at me.” Her voice turned pleading, desperate. “It’s me. It’s not mom, it’s me. Mom, she’s dead. Eridan **look at me**.”

Dude,” Dave crouched down beside her. His voice had gone hoarse. “Dude, Eridan. You can’t, hang in there. We’ll get a healer. We’ll, shit-” He moved down and yanked Eridan’s shirt up, flinching back as the damage began clear. “Oh fuck.” Dave scooped a fistful of Eridan’s cloak and dragged it over the injury, pressing down. Eridan grunted and his eyes fluttered shut.

“It’ll be ok,” Rose fought to still the shaking in her voice, “We’ll get Kanaya. We’ll get a…a Life magician. You’ll be ok. You’ll…” She swallowed and turned her gaze down to the bleeding wound. She couldn’t look at his face all of a sudden. Something about his face made her want to focus on something else.

“L-Look,” Her tone rose just a little as she patted the bundle of cloth around his stomach, “Th-The bleeding, I think the bleeding is stopping.” She patted his hand. It was cold, like it always was. She remembered as a child marveling over how cold his hands always were. Marveling at their chill and how often he insisted on holding hers with them whenever they walked across the street.

They’d do that again later. She wouldn’t mind. They could go check out the pet store they’d passed by last week. See if they had anything strange. Eridan had promised her there were probably some interesting animals there. He had promised to take her there.

He had promised.

“The bleeding is stopping,” She whispered, pressing her hands over the wound. “It’s stopped. Just stay still. Kanaya will…”

“Rose.” Dave’s voice, quiet. His hand on her shoulder. She stopped, then swallowed.

She turned her gaze back to Eridan’s face. Vacant eyes stared up at the sky. She watched him for a few seconds, ten seconds, thirty seconds. He didn’t blink.

The last of the feathers faded from the air, one bouncing off Rose’s shoulder before disappearing.

“No,” She whispered, “This can’t be happening.” Her voice was so high, so distraught and small and **whiny**. It was like she was ten again. It was just like she was ten again and hearing her mother had died and she was sitting there blankly because it just couldn’t be **true**.

Dave wrapped his arm around her shoulder and pulled her up against him. She could feel him shaking. She rested her head against his shoulder. She knew he was crying. She knew he didn’t want her to see. She stared at the violet blood pooling on the ground, cold and thick and starting to congeal.

Rose tilted her head back. The long wail that echoed down the streets around them sounded so terrible and unnatural yet so perfectly completely human.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not nice.
> 
> Yell at me all you want. I've hurt myself the most.
> 
> Dave: Yeah, he talked about you (and that you were my sister) and like, women (as in your mom, who was also my mom) and responsibility (because apparently I've been raised since birth to be your Knight).
> 
> Quick Eridan! Rose is about to ask you about what's going on! Distract her with an equally traumatizing revelation!
> 
> I'm pretty sure Rose could have deduced what might have been the big secret, but on the other hand, subconscious repression and denial can be a powerful mistress.
> 
> Eridan was a great godfather to Dave for the full 21 hours from his realization to his death.


	13. Grief

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which people mourn, a visitor arrives, and a new direction is taken.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More sad stuff, but also some recovering?

Trolls didn’t have funerals, but Terezi, Karkat, and Kanaya seemed to understand enough to help. Karkat found a boat: a small wooden canoe that would be perfect. Kanaya appeared with several armloads of violet flowers and a sail. Terezi got ahold of a large container of lighter fluid and led them to a secluded bay. John also tagged along, biting his lip and drifting around to see where he could help.

Kanaya and Karkat helped lug Eridan’s body into the thin crevice of the canoe. It was just big enough to fit him, his horns grazing the end. They all got to work covering the body in flowers, piling most of them around the wound on his stomach.

Rose carefully pulled his cape over his still form. She bit her lip and took one last look at his face- more peaceful than she could ever remember seeing him- then quickly covered it. Terezi leaned over on her cane, watching her.

“His cloak is charged with potent magic,” She commented, her tone just a little leading, “It’s very valuable, and useful.”

“Will it burn?” Rose asked in response without looking up. Terezi’s mouth twisted.

“Yes. With enough lighter fluid.”

“Then it will be a fitting shroud.” She picked up the jug of lighter fluid, but hesitated over the body. Dave came over and silently helped her hold it and tip it over. She winced a little when the fluid splashed down on the covered body, then took a deep breath and focused on spreading it evenly.

Karkat approached the boat and pulled out a pouch from his belt. He dumped its contents, a dark powder, over the body. Rose didn’t have the energy to ask.

Once everything was prepared, they all dragged the boat down to the shore. Rose shoved it as hard as she could, and it glided out over the water. John sent out a gentle breeze that caught the sail and tugged it further out.

Dave rested a hand on Rose’s shoulder. “That far enough?” He muttered. She nodded, then with a lump in her throat, raised her needles. A slim bolt of white light zipped through the air to catch the top of the sail. Flames burst out and raced to consume it, egged on by the lighter fluid. Soon the entire boat was burning and Rose learned the meaning of the powder; the flames had turned a brilliant shade of violet.

Rose’s face was wet all of a sudden. She ducked her head to wipe at her eyes with her sleeve. Dave’s hand found her other one and squeezed it gently. She hiccupped, then sniveled and tried to pull herself back together for the moment.

A faint tingling brushed the back of her mind. She turned around. Up at the top of the hill, a small group of people had gathered. Trolls, humans, and a few carapacians, about 40 in all, watched the scene at the bay silently.

“What the fuck do they want?” Dave muttered.

“Look at their clothes.” Kanaya nodded up at them. A large number of them were dressed in white and gold. Some garments seemed formal, almost ceremonial. Others looked hastily pulled out or improvised. “Fellow Hope Magicians. Word must have gotten around.” She looked down at Rose and Dave. “Eridan may not have been so widely popular as your mother, but he was respected.”

One member of the group stepped forward and clasped her hands together, bowing her head. Rose thought she was praying, but then she offered her hands outward and a tiny white figure shot from her hand. It was small and moving fast, but to Rose it looked like some kind of bird, with a long trailing tail, that flew out over the bay before dissipating. The others on the hill followed her. Some imitated her praying and release gesture, others pointed and the birds burst from their fingers. Still others unceremoniously tossed them out like baseballs. However they flew, they flew. The air was filled with them for a few moments, little shooting stars trailing fire before fading away.

“A kind gesture.” Kanaya commented. Rose didn’t answer. She didn’t care. She felt she should, but she couldn’t bring herself to care. A part of her wanted them to leave. Leave her alone. Leave Eridan alone.

Dave squeezed her hand again. She turned back to watch the boat. It had started to sink. She watched it break apart, little bits of the mast falling into the water. Eventually, the fire was gone. Evening was falling, so they were left in a gathering darkness.

“Come,” Kanaya gently rested and arm around both of their shoulders, “we should go in, before it gets cold.”

Cold. Rose already felt numb. She could stand here all night in a snowstorm and not feel a thing. But still she let Kanaya gently guide them back to the university. Her light push reminded her of Eridan herding her off.

The next day, a ceremony was held for Dirk Strider. The university arranged everything. Like Eridan, a large number of Heart Magicians came to pay their respects. It was an open casket. Rose stared at the man who was apparently her father. The still face, blond hair and sideburns offered no significance to her. On instinct, she turned to see what Eridan would have to say but there was no one behind her. The empty air shot a harsh pain to her chest.

She was again holding Dave’s hand, but for his benefit. He stood frozen through the ceremony and speeches, face blank as stone behind his shades. He didn’t take them off and no one asked him to. The person in charge of the ceremony turned to him and asked if he wanted to say anything. He shook his head. The coffin was lowered. The funeral ended.

Dave and Rose moved quickly for the exit, but not before they were caught by a few people offering condolences. Dave faced them head-down, with one hand clasping Rose’s and the other clenched tight into a shaking fist.

They made it back into the building, and hid in Rose’s room from any further well-meaning sympathizers. The time for dinner passed by. Rose stared at the wall, hardly registering the few times people came futilely knocking at the door.

Days passed. The mood at the university was dismal, as if a heavy cloud of grief, shock, and fear had descended on everyone and everything. Between the whispers and muttering, Rose managed to catch that the first angel had once again been spotted in LOWAA.

Rose spent almost all her time in her room, lying in bed with Dave curled up beside her. Occasionally Karkat, Terezi, or Kanaya would try get them to come out for meals, or bring something to the room when their efforts failed.

Rose sat on her bed, leaning against the wall and staring dully up at the ceiling. Dave was lying on the other side of the bed, picking at the blankets.

“I never suspected,” Rose mumbled. Dave raised his head to look at her. Neither of them had spoken about the facts they'd learned. “For all my powers as a Seer, I never foresaw this.”

“It'd be a pretty big stretch.”

They were silent for a while longer, then Rose spoke again.

“Did he die for me?” She murmured, “Or because he believed it was my mother's wishes?” Dave turned over to scowl at her.

“Rose.”

“I'm just thinking.”

“Don't go down that road.”

“We don't-” They fell silent and looked up at a polite knock on the door. Rose hesitated, then sighed and got up to walk over and open the door.

“Hello Rose, Dave,” Kanaya greeted them, “There's someone here to see you.”

 

000

 

The visitor was a troll Rose had never seen before. She was short and bulky, with a tangled mass of black hair reaching down to her calves. Her dress was a thick, soft material, swaddling her in folds of deep burgundy, and her horns curved gracefully around themselves like a ram's. She smiled at them, flashing a pair of dimples and bright white teeth, blunt for a troll.

“Hello!” She greeted them with a cheerfulness that made Rose wince. “You must be Rose and Dave!”

They didn't answer, so the troll continued. “Word reached me about Eridan's death. I heard you had a ceremony.” Her grin widened to a disconcerting level. “I wish I had been there to see it!”

“It-” Compared to the newcomer's singsong voice, Rose's sounded like lead, “-wasn't a very joyous occasion.” At that, the troll's expression softened.

“Yes, of course,” She clasped her hands together. Her fingers sparkled with rings, some of which were decorated with red stones and skulls. Rose might have appreciated the aesthetic, but right now it just made her think of Eridan and a sharp pain twisted in her gut. “All this must have been hard for the both of you.”

“I'm fine,” Dave said. The troll just hummed in response and offered Dave a faint smile.

“It's ok to feel grief, you know.”

“Pardon,” Rose cut in, “Who exactly are you?”

The troll turned her smile to her, and Rose felt something odd about her eyes. It seemed like they held insurmountable wisdom, that they had seen wars fought, the rise and fall of nations, the creation of the universe, and they had taken in all the lessons that had come of it.

“I am Aradia Megido,” She told them, “I have come to help you move on from your loss.”

 

000

 

“Loss is a part of life, but it can be one of the hardest things to experience,” Aradia spoke as she led them down the hallway. “From what I hear, you've both been through a lot of tumultuous changes in your life.”

“Are you a psychologist?” Rose mumbled, “Did Skaia hire you?”

“Nope!” Aradia answered, “Kanaya called me and filled me in on everything. I knew Eridan, as well as your parents, so I decided to stop by to see if I can help.”

“So, what?” Dave ran his hand down the wall as they walked, “We gonna talk about our feelings? Play a cutesy song?”

“Not quite, unless you want to.” Aradia stopped them at a large wooden door and pulled a key out of her pocket. “No, my methods are a little different.” She unlocked the door and ushered them in.

The first thing that hit Rose was the smell of smoke. Incense, actually. The room was pitch dark, aside from the faint glow of the burning sticks floating around them. Dave coughed, and Aradia closed the door. The lights flickered on a second later.

They were in a small room, appearing smaller with the vast amount of clutter. Candles and incense were stacked on every surface, along with tapestries, books, and some other objects Rose couldn't name. In particular, different-colored glass balls sat here and there, holding what appeared to be swirling fog. Aradia picked one of these up, studying it as she spoke.

“How do you feel? Tell me honestly, any words.”

“Numb,” The words were out of Rose's mouth before she could stop them, “Heavy, sometimes angry. I, I think I'm sad, but if I pay attention to that I threaten to-” Her throat closed up and she swallowed. Aradia hummed in acknowledgement. 

“What about you, Dave?” Aradia asked without looking up at either one of them. Dave didn't answer. Instead he just shrugged. Aradia seemed to take it as an answer because she just nodded.

“Things have ended unresolved,” She declared as she held the ball up to the light, “You have unanswered questions, doubts, insecurities. Things that you felt you knew, you are no longer certain about.”

“And are you a Seer?” Rose's voice held a biting sarcasm at the title, “Did you look into our hearts? Read our minds?” Aradia lowered the ball to smile at her again.

“No, Rose. I am no Seer. Just experienced.”

“She's a Time magician.” Dave said suddenly. Rose's eyes narrowed.

“Is that true?” She asked, and Aradia nodded.

“I am well-acquainted with death,” Aradia explained, “I know how it can affect people.” She turned to face them. “If you'll let me, I would like to help you both in dealing with what happened.”

Rose glanced at Dave. He shrugged. “Might as well see what this is about,” He said. Rose nodded and turned back to Aradia.

“What exactly did you have in mind?” Aradia beamed in response.

“Just this!”

She dropped the ball, where it shattered and the room exploded with smoke.

Rose threw her arms up on instinct and closed her eyes. The smoke didn't sting or irritate, and had no smell. In fact, the smell of the incense seemed to fade, dampened by the fog. She opened her eyes. Dave had grabbed onto her arm, and Aradia was still standing where she had been before. Although Rose could see both of them clearly, she could no longer make out the details of the room around them. Every time she thought she had a bearing, the shadows shifted in the fog. Finally, the uneasy realization sank into her gut that they were, most likely, no longer in the room at all.

“We are in the Dreambubbles,” Aradia told them. Her voice had gone deep, heavy, “Here lie the memories of the dead, those that were, will be, may be, and could have been.” She gave them a coy smile, “I will guide us to the memories of your own timeline. I think that's all we need.”

She began to walk off in what appeared to be a random direction through the mists. Dave and Rose exchanged a glance, then hurried after her.

“What you are about to see are memories, nothing more,” Aradia warned them, “You will not be able to interact with anything, or anyone, and they will not be aware of your presence.” Rose nodded.

“I understand.”

“I'm hoping-” Aradia swept away some of the fog as she walked. The mists seemed to obey her, curling and twisting around her movements in ways that they didn't with Rose and Dave. “-By seeing what I have to show you, you'll feel a little better about what happened.” Rose half-listened to her as she stared out at the fog. It's shifting shapes reminded her of her dreams, with the flowing tendrils and strange beings talking to her.

“Eri!”

Rose flinched at the voice. Younger, but unmistakable. A teenager, about 13, burst through the fog to run past them. Her blond curls bounced as she moved and her bright pink eyes twinkled with mischief.

“Eriiii!” She cupped her hands to her mouth, and the scenery materialized around them. Heavy stone walls, decorated with tapestries. Rose recognized the university.

“Eri you dumb fish!” Roxy planted her fists on her hips as her face screwed up in faux annoyance. “Where'd ya go?”

“Hold your hoofbeasts, Lalonde.” Rose inhaled sharply as she heard the voice behind her. She hesitated, then steeled herself and turned around.

Gray skin, jagged horns that were shorter, but definitely growing into the path they would take, fins fluttering from the sides of his face as he glared through Rose, at Roxy.

Rose felt a knot twist in her stomach that was definitely not just longing. The cold light in his eyes, the way his mouth scowled and twisted so his teeth flashed out more often than not. Rose felt a flicker of unease, mixed with guilt and grief. The troll before her was Eridan, but a younger, more volatile, harsher version of him.

“Theeere you are!” Roxy must have known it too, because she didn't leap forward to embrace him like Rose had seen her do so many times. Instead she shifted her weight forward and wagged her finger at him. “Where've ya been, ya bastard?”

Eridan sniffed, seeming unmoved by her theatrics.

“You know how busy I am, Rox. I got stuff to do. Plans to make. Legacies to fulfill.”

“Thbbbbt!” Roxy blew a raspberry right at his dramatic answer, making his back go straight with surprise. “You and your dumb legacies.”

Rose felt Dave squeeze her hand. She squeezed back to let him know she was alright.

“They ain't dumb!” Eridan protested.

“Ye they are,” Roxy answered cheerfully, “A lil.” He huffed and crossed his arms, spinning on his heel to turn away from her.

“Did you call me out just to insult me, then?” He faced away from her as he said it, but Rose could see he was watching her out of the corner of his eye.

“Naw.” Roxy skipped forward, grabbing him by the cape. “I found somethin cool. C'mon!” He turned back to scowl at her, but curiosity rippled under the expression.

“What is it?”

“It's a surpriiiiise,” She looped her arm with his and started to tug him toward the door, “C'mooooon!” Eridan made a disgruntled whining noise, but allowed himself to be towed off with her. The vision faded back into smoke as they left, and a new one reformed.

Now Eridan was alone in what appeared to be a small bedroom. He was sitting with his back to a table in the middle of the room, upon which sat a single goblet of a clear liquid. His head was buried in his knees with his arms hooked over himself. He looked to be a few years older, maybe Rose's age now.

Roxy appeared, standing before him with her hands on her hips. Her eyebrows were creased together and her teeth worried at her lip.

“Yo Eri,” She said, “Think you should cut the practicin for a bit. Looks like it's wearin you out.” Eridan mumbled something into his knees as a response, and Roxy leaned in. “Eh?” Eridan raised his head, and Rose saw his eyes were puffy from crying, his face streaked with purple tears as he glared up at Roxy.

“I said I can't do it, Rox.” He flicked a hand up over his shoulder at the glass of water behind him. “I can't, fuckin, do it.”

“Aw c'mon.” She knelt down in front of him and patted him on the shoulder. “You'll get't.”

“No I won't!” He snapped back, his voice rising. “It's fuckin hopeless! Everyone else in my class has figured out how to turn this dumb water into wine or orange juice or whatever the fuck they want and I just can't!” At the last word he punched the top of the table and it turned over, sending the glass crashing against the floor. He let his chin fall back onto his knees. “I ain't cut out for this dumb aspect. It's all about believin and it just seems like fake trash to me.”

“Aw Eri...” Roxy reached up and took his head in her hands, raising it to have him look at her. “S'alright. You just gotta find your way of doing this.”

“My way??” He broke away from her hold. “What the fuck is my way?? Failin?! Cause it sure seems like it!”

“Hush.” She patted his cheek. “You’ll get there. Here:” She stood up, then pulled the table back onto its legs. She cupped her hands together, and another glass of water popped into existence between her fingers. She placed it on the table, then tugged Eridan up by his arm. “Show me what you’ve got.”

“I don’t got anythin,” He grumbled, “Can’t do it.”

“Not with that attitude.” She smacked his arm. “C’mon. Make me a cocktail or somethin.”

“Make one yourself!” Eridan snapped back at her. Roxy rolled her eyes.

“C’mon Eri. Work with me here.”

“I just…” Eridan’s shoulders slumped and his whole body seemed to wilt as he dropped his head to stare at the ground. “I can’t. I don’t…I don’t believe I can.” Roxy’s eyes softened, as did her posture. Eridan glared down at his feet, refusing to look up at her.

“I believe in you,” She said softly. Eridan snorted.

“Ain’t wise a you.”

“Shaddup. I am a lady of **ex-cep-tion-al** perception.” Roxy sighed and planted her hands on her hips. “And I believe in you, ok? I think you can do it.”

“ **Why**?”

“Cause I do!” She flicked him in the forehead. “I’ve seen what you can do. You just need to calm down and work through it without panicking and getting frustrated. Think of it as like that time we were messing around trying to make acids.” Eridan’s mouth twitch up at the memory.

“The University grounded us for a month.”

“Well why don’t we break that record?” Roxy grinned and smacked him on the back, “Make it two months!”

Eridan laughed. It was a soft, grudging chuckle, but he had obviously loosened up.

“God, Rox, you’re just incredible.”

“Flattery will getcha everywhere, Ampora.” Eridan’s mouth twitched up, then he looked back at the glass on the table.

“Alright, I’ll give it another try.”

“That’s the spirit!” Roxy smacked him on the back just as the mists engulfed them once again. Rose didn’t have to guess whether he managed the master the spell. She swallowed the lump in her throat as another picture formed.

The two of them sat together in a corner of what appeared to be a Common Area. They were leaning over each other, heads and limbs touching carelessly and comfortably as they both peered down at the book in Roxy’s lap.

Another man appeared in the doorway across the room, and Rose inhaled sharply while Dave's hand tightened on hers. A younger face, but the fair blond hair and shades made him recognizable. Dirk Strider stood in the doorway. He was wearing a dark pink tunic and black pants. His frame wasn't quite as muscular as it was as an adult, but it still possessed an imposing power that showed when he walked, crossing the room to Roxy and Eridan.

“Heeeeey,” Roxy's hand shot up in greeting, “Dirky Dirk, how're ya?”

“Well enough,” He answered in a neutral tone. He swung his arm up to clasp Roxy's in a high-five, then nodded to Eridan, who nodded back. “What’re you two sunk in? More wizard porn?” His response was two gasps, a fake one from Roxy, and a genuine one from Eridan, whose face had also gone bright violet.

“Only on Saturdays, Dirky,” Roxy turned the book around so he could see. “We’re checking out the lands, since our pilgrimages are coming up.”

“I’m plannin to go to the Land a Wrath and Angels,” Eridan declared, “Seems like an interestin place, worthy enough.”

“ **I** wanna go to the Neon one!” Roxy flipped the pages around to show him a picture. “Check out the sky!” Dirk nodded.

“I figured you would pick that one over the Land of Caves and Silence.”

“Pff.” Roxy rolled her eyes. “Ye, snore. I mean, there **might** be some interestin or spooky shit in those caves but ehhh. What about you, Dirky? Where’re ya headed?” Dirk sat down on the floor beside them.

“The Land of Tombs and Krypton.” Eridan cocked an eyebrow at him.

“No one goes there. The gas is too much of a pain.”

“They say there’s something powerful there.” Dirk grabbed the book and flipped over to the page, where it showed a picture of towering green ruins. “It piqued my interest.”

“Huh.” Roxy studied the page. “…Damn, I totally wanted to see pictures of you in LOLCAT.”

“Yeah, that’s another reason I’m going there. Wading through sugar is not something I wanna do.”

“Especially when you can just do that in your room.” Eridan muttered. Dirk leaned over and gave him a light flick on the shoulder. The casual air of the gesture made Rose stiffen up in shock. Eridan’s only response was to snort and turn his attention back to the book. As Dirk looked down at it as well, Rose caught Roxy staring at him with an odd expression. Her face was soft, with such a genuine, adoring smile on her face, but her eyes held sadness mixed with her joy, a kind of overwhelming wistfulness.

It only lasted a second, then she dropped her head down to look at the book. Dave glanced at Rose and cocked an eyebrow. Rose didn’t respond, but continued watching.

“Hey Dirk.” Roxy drummed her fingers on the pages. “Yer land choice, did those Heart guys push you toward that?” Eridan’s head snapped up to look at Dirk in surprise and curiosity, while Dirk’s face remained impassive.

“I push myself, Roxy.”

“Ye ye. Don’t wanna deal with the sugarcubes.”

“I don’t trust them,” Eridan complained, “That…weird council that keeps dogging after you and those other Heart magicians they’ve scouted. What’re their motives?”

“They’re and official organization under Skaia,” Dirk pointed out, “They care about the safety of the town, and the good of the world.”

“Sounds idealistic,” Eridan grunted, “And they’re so secretive about their methods.”

“That’s because you’re not in the group,” Dirk jabbed a thumb at his chest. “I know what’s going on. No one’s playing puppeteer with me. If anything, I’m already pulling strings.” Eridan snorted and rolled his eyes.

“Sure. Still shady.”

“Sometimes things need to be done to ensure safety, especially with the Condesce getting aggressive.” Dirk shrugged, “It’s probably best you don’t know.”

“Excuse me??”

“Ugh, you two.” Roxy closed the book. “Cut it out. Dirk stop pretending to be a mysterious asshole. Let’s go find out what’s for dinner.”

Dave relaxed a little as the scene faded into mist once more. Rose turned to Aradia.

“Did…Dirk, find something interesting in his land?” Aradia hummed in response.

“No one knows, but he did seem to have learned something in his time there, something that gave him a greater understanding of souls,” Her eyes flashed with a kind of melancholy, “-If not, the feelings of others. Perhaps he was simply too preoccupied with finding the weaknesses.”

When the next scene appeared, it was just Eridan and Roxy, sitting against the wall of the room. Eridan had his legs tucked up and his head resting against Roxy’s shoulder

“I fucked up,” Eridan whispered, “I fucked up, I fucked up so bad.” Roxy shushed him and ruffled his hair.

“Shh Eri, it’ll be fine.”

“You didn’t see the looks they gave me when they saw-”

“It’ll be **fine**.” She pressed. “What’re they gonna do, expel you?”

“They might.”

“Hush. You’re too cool to get expelled and they know it.”

The door opened and they looked up. A middle-aged man, dressed in the university’s robes, stood there. His hands shook a little as he held two scrolls and crossed the room to meet them. He cleared his throat, then raised the first one, tied with a blue ribbon.

“Roxanne Lalonde,” His voice faltered as he began, then hurriedly rushed forward. “For your demonstrated skill in manipulating the Void in the Land of Pyramids and Neon, the council has declared your quest fulfilled and your status has been raised to a level 2 magician.” Roxy beamed as he handed her the scroll. The man hesitated, then held up the second scroll, this one tied with a white ribbon.

“Eridan Ampora,” He started, then swallowed. Eridan’s eyes narrowed.

“Get on with it,” He snapped. The man straightened, then nodded.

“Eridan Ampora, for your…for overpowering, defeating, and destroying the angels resident to the Land of Wrath and Angels, the council has declared your quest fulfilled, and your status has been raised to a level 2 magician.” He held the scroll out, and Eridan hesitantly reached out and took it. As soon as his hand wrapped around the paper the man jerked his hand back, coughed then tucked his arms behind him.

“Congratulations to the two of you. Good day.” The man bowed and left hurriedly. As soon as the door closed behind him Eridan groaned and smacked his head against the wall.

“Shit, he looked like he was gonna piss himself.”

“Aw c’mon.” Roxy patted him on the shoulder. “You passed. End a story.”

“I **guess**.” Eridan grumbled.

“It’ll be fine.” Roxy squeezed his shoulder. “We’ll figure it out if shit happens.”

Another knock at the door. They looked up. Before either of them could get up or call out, it opened to reveal Dirk. He stared down at the two against the wall, namely at Eridan, who tensed up under his gaze.

“Heard about your quests,” He finally said, “…Not bad.” Eridan blinked, then looked away.

“I passed,” He grunted, “Good enough.”

“Sure.” Dirk shrugged.

Eridan returned to staring down at the floor. Dirk dug his hands into his pockets, apparently having nothing else to say.

“Well!” Roxy clapped her hands together, making both of them jump. “I dunno about **you** nerds, but I feel like celebratin the fact that we’re all officially level 2 magicians!” She hopped up. “C’mon! Let’s go out to eat tonight!”

Rose pursed her lips as the three of them walked away into the fog. “They were friends?” She asked Aradia, who nodded.

“All three of them were close, though your mother was really the glue binding them together.”

“She loved him,” Rose said, “My mom, she loved him.” Aradia nodded.

“I believe she did.”

“Did he…” Rose’s words caught in her throat. She swallowed, then tried again. “Did he love her? Dirk? Ever?” Aradia gave her a sober, understanding look.

“I think he did, but not in the way that would lead to marriage, or children.”

“But…” Dave gestured to himself. “That…kinda happened.” Aradia hummed and nodded, then swept her hands through the fog again to create another picture.

Now Roxy and Dirk were sitting together, both of them looking to be in their twenties. Roxy leaned over against Dirk's shoulder while he polished his sword.

“'N that's why spazzerpan is the best wizard,” She finished. Dirk jerked his head in a quick nod.

“Fascinating.”

“Pshh, were you even listenin?”

“Sure I was.”

“You were not.”

“Were to.”

“Were not.”

“Were to.”

“Bah.” Roxy leaned over against him. For a while, they shared a comfortable silence, then a wide, silly grin crawled across Roxy’s face. “Hey,” She nudged him with his shoulder, “Hey, hey Dirk.”

“Yeah?”

“What do you think it would be like,” She murmured, “If we had kids?”

Dirk paused, then lowered his sword to stare up at the ceiling. His fingers drummed against the steel of his sword, his face and thoughts equally unreadable.

“...Powerful,” He answered.

The fog rushed in again, then split apart into a new scene almost immediately.

“I'M GONNA KILL THAT FUCKER!!” Eridan roared. He paced back and forth, his footsteps threatening to tear the carpet with the force put into them. Roxy was sprawled out on the sofa, head resting against her arm.

“Eri, chill.”

“How'm I supposed to be chill?!” Eridan whirled around to face her, then his eyes narrowed. “Wait, what's with ya? Did he get you drunk?! Are you-”

“I ain't drunk!” She snapped, “I'm stone-cold dry. And I was when we did it, too.” She sighed and flopped her hand over the side of the sofa. “I just wasn't like, expectin him to say yes, ya know? But I wasn't gonna turn'm down either. I mean, duh.” Eridan's face twisted up into an unpleasant expression, then relaxed into something more sober.

“...You don't hafta,” He said softly, “Go through with it, I mean. A doctor could-”

“Eri, no,” She answered firmly, “I wasn't, I wasn't expectin him to say yes, but I meant it when I said it. It's not like he forced me or anythin.” Her eyelids lowered and she pressed one hand over her stomach. “…I wanna keep it.”

“Well-” Eridan's shoulders slumped, “-fine. I won't kill him, if only cause he's gotta pull his weight helpin you with this.” Roxy chuckled.

“That's mah Eri.”

Eridan sighed, then came over and thumped down on the couch next to her. He wrapped his arms around her waist and leaned over to rest against her.

“It’ll be alright,” He murmured, “I’ll stick to ya through all this.” Roxy smiled wide, then reached up to bury her fingers in his hair.

“I know you will, Eri.”

They faded into mist again. Rose wiped at her eyes, which were starting to sting with tears.

“Did he, Eridan, ever care for me?” She whispered, “Did he truly? Or was it just for my mother’s sake?” Aradia only hummed in response.

“That’s something you have to answer for yourself, but I do have some more visions to show you.”

She turned and waved her hands through the mist, and another picture formed.

“Who's my sweetie girl?” Roxy cooed to the infant in her arms, “Who's my precious little Rose?” She booped little Rose's nose, causing the baby to giggle and grasp for her finger.

“Aw,” Dave whispered to Rose, who nudged him in the ribs.

Eridan was slouched over on the sofa behind Roxy, watching her with a mixture of warmth and fascination.

“How long's she gonna stay like that?” He asked, “Small and squishy, I mean.”

“She should be startin to walk in a few months or so.” Roxy bounced her around a bit. “Should be talkin soon, too.”

“Huh.”

Roxy spun around to face him, a mischievous smile on her lips.

“Hey, wanna hold her?”

His back jerked straight up and his hand slammed down on the arm of the chair, gripping it tight as he gaped at her.

“You’re kiddin, right?”

“Nah!” Roxy strode over to him and thrust little Rose into his face. “C’mon! Just like I was holdin her!” He flinched away from the child, the fins of his ears turning downward.

“What’f I…accidently rip her arm off or somethin? She’s all soft and fragile.”

“C’mon bud, if you can carry me home when I’m drunk off my ass, and you can carry my cats without gutting them, you can hold a squishy squishy tiny human wrapped in a blanket. Just be gentle, k?”

Eridan made a whining noise of protest, but hesitantly raised his hands up. She plopped Rose down and maneuvered his fingers around so he was holding her up to his face. He squinted at the baby.

“She’s got eye like yours, Rox.”

“Ha yeah.”

Little Rose’s eyes widened as she watched Eridan’s mouth move. She reached out for his teeth and he jerked back with a displeased noise.

“No! What kinda faulty survival instinct have you got that you go stickin your fingers-” His words cut out as he closed his mouth to stop her once more reaching hand. “Mm-mm.” He glared at her and shook his head. Her eyes went wide and her grip clamped down on his fins instead.

Eridan made a muffled screeching noise while Roxy roared with laughter. When she had recovered enough to stand up straight she took little Rose back from Eridan, who was practically shoving her at her.

“That coulda gone terribly!” He yelped once she was safe in Roxy’s hold again.

“Daw, she likes you!” Roxy booped Rose on the nose again. “You like lil uncle Eri, huh? Like his cool fins?” Little Rose giggled, then twisted around to look at Eridan again. He stared back, then after a second, wiggled his fins at her. Little Rose shrieked in delight and reached out for them again.

“Awww.” Roxy cooed and snuggled her face against Rose’s. “Ye, his fins are super cool, ain’t they?” Eridan huffed and crossed his arms.

“…She’s gonna be Light, right?” He asked after a while. Roxy hummed as she bounced Rose around a little.

“Yep. You can already see it if you focus.”

“Light’s similar to Hope in some ways,” Eridan muttered, “You think I could teach her some stuff?” Roxy laughed.

“Sure buddy. When she’s a little older you can teach her how to blow shit up.

“Alright,” Eridan rubbed his chin, eyebrows drawing together in thought, “So like, when she’s five?”

“Try eighteen, buster.”

“Eighteen!?” He gagged. “That’s way too long! What if she’s gotta protect herself?!”

“We’re gonna be here to protect her.” Roxy shot back. “Ok, how about fifteen or sixteen? That’s when you learned.” Eridan pouted and crossed his arms, falling back into the couch.

“Still too long,” He grumbled, “How long’re we stayin in this borin world anyways?”

Roxy sighed and set Rose down on the floor. “I don’t know,” She murmured, “It’s dangerous right now, with the Condesce. And D…” Her face tightened, then she swallowed. “We dunno where Dirk went.” Eridan growled.

“If he shows up again I’m rippin his throat out.”

“I’m thinkin maybe until she’s thirteen?” Roxy got down on her knees, watching Rose explore the floor. Eridan shrugged.

“Alright. That’s about the time we started learnin seriously.” He blinked, noticing the dark look on Roxy’s face. “Rox?”

“Eri,” She spoke softly, “I gotta couple favors to ask.”

“Well sure,” Eridan sat up a little, “What?”

“Would you be her godfather?”

“ **What**?!” He stared at her in disbelief. “Rox I don’t know shit about raisin things, much less humans! Why don’t you have Egbert or-”

“’Cause I want it to be you,” She answered firmly, “Because you’re my moirail and my bestest friend. Egbert…he’s good. He’s a good parent, and responsible, and he’s strong, but he’s not as strong as you are.”

“But you **said** -” He made a desperate gesture at Rose, who was presently examining a table leg, “you said it takes stuff besides strength to raise a kid! It takes patience and kindness and gentle stuff and I don’t-”

“You can **learn**.” She cut in. “This is, This is just in **case** , Eri. Until then, I’ll teach you what to do.”

Eridan stared nervously at Rose. “You sure about this?” He asked. Roxy smiled.

“Positive.”

“Well, fine, I’ll give it a try at least.” He turned back to her. “I’m scared to ask, but you said a ‘couple favors’. What else?”

Roxy smiled at him again, but it was a pinched, tense one.

“Just in case,” She whispered, “If I’m not, around, don’t show her until she’s 18. As long as she’s safest here, I want her to grow up safe.” Eridan’s eyebrows drew together.

“You sure?”

“I’m sure.” Eridan’s eyes softened as he nodded.

“Alright.”

The scene vanished. In the next one, little Rose was gone. Roxy was standing with her arms crossed, chewing on her lower lip. Eridan was sitting on the couch. He was facing away from her, eyes glued to the wall and his face tense. The arm that was propping up his chin had the sleeve pulled back, revealing the mark of the Horrorterrors.

“I really dunno,” Roxy said finally. Her tone was high with worry. “It looks, nasty, Eri. I really don’t trust those guys.” Eridan sighed and closed his eyes.

“It’s **fine** , Rox. It’s not like I sold them my soul or anythin.”

“But like, are you **sure**?” Her voice rose a bit, and Eridan flinched. “It’s dangerous, Eri. You **know** it’s dangerous.” She spread her arms out. “Basically all we know about it is that it’s dangerous! Even if it’s not active, how do you know-”

“Rox,” Eridan cut in, “I know. Trust me. I did, **all** the research on this. There might be a few side effects, but nothin I can’t handle. The key is a strong will, a strong determination, and you and Rose give me those things. As long as I gotta purpose I ain’t gonna go doin anything rash.” Roxy just stared at him, biting at her lip and digging her fingernails into her palms. Eridan got up and walked toward her. Gently, he reached up and caressed her cheek with her other hand.

“I’d never hurt you, Rox,” He murmured, “Nor Rose. I’m in control of this. You ain’t gotta worry.” He glanced down at his marked arm. “This is…just in case. A last resort. I’m hopin to Hell I’ll never have to use it, but if that moment comes, I’d rather have it.”

“If Dirk comes back,” She whispered, “If Dirk comes back and says like, the **awfullest** shit-”

“I wouldn’t use it,” He assured her, then after a quick beat and a shrug, “I mean, I might blast the idiot with Hope, but not this. This is for between life or death-”

“Not mine.” Roxy shook her head, pushing away the hand on her face. “Promise you won’t use it for me. Only if-” Her gaze fell on a doorway, where Rose suspected the child version of herself was off somewhere. “Only if Rosey’s in trouble, ‘n there’s no other way.”

“Promise.” Eridan took her hand and raised it to his lips. “Diamond’s honor.” Roxy smiled, but there was still a uneasiness about her face.

“Be careful, Eri.” She murmured.

The fog rolled in again. Aradia turned to Rose. “These next parts,” She told her, “You might recall yourself.”

The mists parted to show a dismal scene. Rose swallowed. It had rained on the day of her mother’s funeral. Eridan stood behind a ten-year-old version of Rose. Dressed in all black, he looked like a sleek shadow. In one hand he held an umbrella, while the other rested on Rose’s shoulder.

Rose looked out at the other people in the funeral. Back then, she hadn’t noticed just how many people had showed up. Standing near Eridan and little Rose, she just managed to recognize Karkat, Terezi, and Kanaya behind their human disguises.

Both Eridan and little Rose were stony-faced through the funeral, but as the casket was being lowered, little Rose began to sniffle, then cry. Eridan’s eye snapped wide in surprise as he looked down at her. For a second, his face flashed with panic and he glanced around before returning his gaze down to her. He bit his lip, then dropped the umbrella and hesitantly knelt down and wrapped his arms around her.

Rose had forgotten this moment. Remembering it now, she had always thought his actions had been sober and composed. With this new view, she could clearly see the look of fear and anxiety on his face, the face of someone who had lost his moirail, his guide. It was the face of someone who was scared of the future.

But right then, he was kneeling down with one knee in the mud and hugging little Rose tight as she cried, just as he had surely seen Roxy do many times before. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them Rose could see the determination in his expression.

“It’ll be ok,” He murmured, “I’m here, Rose. It’ll be ok.”

The scene faded, and Rose rubbed at her eyes. She hadn’t believed him, in that moment, but somewhere inside of her she had appreciated the gesture. He had carried her back to the car and she had fallen asleep on the ride home.

In the next scene, Eridan sat on the couch, staring blankly at the two children before him.

“This is Dave,” Rose gestured to the boy beside her. Eridan nodded along, his expression that of someone who didn’t quite know what was going on but was trying his best. It had been the first time of many that Dave had entered their home.

“Alright, hi Dave.”

“Sup.” Dave answered. Eridan cocked an eyebrow at him.

“…Sup?”

“It’s like-” Dave shrugged. “Hi.”

“Oh.”

“We’re going to play by the lake,” Rose cut in quickly. Eridan blinked, then nodded and got up.

“Alright, I’ll come with.”

“You don’t have to,” Rose told him. Eridan scowled.

“Uh-uh. What if you two drown or somethin?” He waved his hand to dismiss any arguments. “I’ll just be sitting by the shore. Pretend I ain’t there.” Little Rose rolled her eyes, but nodded.

“Hang on,” Eridan turned around, “I’ll grab some water and stuff.” With his back to them, Rose noticed little Dave shooting Eridan a curious stare. He was carefully nonchalant by the time Eridan had turned back though.

“Alright, we goin?”

The mists swept around them again. The next scene was several months later. Rose and Dave were curled up on the couch, fast asleep as a movie rolled it’s end credits.

Eridan walked into the room, move silently toward the couch. He grabbed the remote and turned the TV off, then grabbed a blanket and draped it over Dave, shifting him a little so he was in a more comfortable position. He then picked Rose up, gently enough that she didn’t stir as he carried her up to her bedroom.

The mists returned, and this time no new scenes appeared. Rose stared down at her feet, her mind working through all that she had just witnessed.

“Dave,” Aradia faced him, “Up until now we’ve mostly focused on Rose’s life. If you wish, we can-”

“No,” Dave interrupted her, “…No, I’m good thanks.” Aradia nodded, seeming unsurprised at the answer.

“Very well.” The fog faded away, and they were once again standing in the room with the incense and candles. Aradia clasped her hands together. “Do things feel a little more in place, now?” She asked. Rose blinked slowly, then nodded, her gaze still on the ground.

“Yes I, I think so. Thank you, for showing this to us.” Aradia hummed in response.

“It was my pleasure. So, would you like to tell me what’s on your mind now?”

Rose hesitated, then raised her head to look at her with a steely expression.

“Revenge.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry if the trip down memory lane got a little long but there was just...so...much...to cover...
> 
> You can bet after Dave's first visit Rose found Eridan's google results looking something like this:  
> "What to do if there is another child in your home."  
> "How to treat a child your child brings home."  
> "Playdates."  
> "If a child that is not mine dies on my property am I legally at blame?"  
> "How to do CPR."


	14. A plan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Rose makes some stupid decisions, a journey is begun, and Dave also makes some stupid decisions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like sister like brother.
> 
> Also John gets to be here. Hi John.
> 
> (Sorry for the skipped week I promise this fic will be finished even if I miss a few weeks. ;-;)

Rose spread several books out on the table, flipped to various pages that she’d bookmarked. Any other patrons of the library had gone to bed hours ago, and with the lights out, a single orb of light floated over the table to light her studies. She squinted down at one of the pages, which detailed a humanoid figure, cloaked in dark tendrils similar to those she had seen around Eridan.

“Grimdark,” She murmured to herself, “…Horrorterrors.” She sighed, rubbing her drooping eyes. Six hours in the library, and she felt no closer to any answers. She rested her head on her arms, staring at the shadows flickering around her. Against her judgement, she let her eyes close briefly.

She remembered the moment Eridan had pulled back his sleeve. The crash of voices banging against her skull, the twisting shapes around his form, the terrible screech that had left his mouth as he had summoned the power around him.

It had been terrifying and awful, incredible and awesome, and so undeniably powerful.

“Where are you?” She whispered, “How can I find you?”

She felt a soft chill brush against her spine and a tremor seemed to run over the desk under her arms.

**_“Seer.”_ **

Her eyes shot open and she sat up. She looked around, scanning the empty room and silent bookshelves.

“…Hello?” She called out hesitantly.

 ** _“Seer. Child of Derse.”_** A voice thrummed in the back of her mind. It was soft, but it still sent chills up her spine with every word. **_“We know your quest.”_** She pressed her lips together and her fingers curled in to dig her fingernails into her palms.

“Is that so?”

 ** _“We can grant you power.”_** Rose’s eyes narrowed.

“Your power didn’t help-” Her words caught on the name, “…Eridan, very much.”

 ** _“We can make you much stronger.”_** The voices raised in volume, overwhelming Rose and flowing through her veins. **_“His power pales in comparison to yours.”_** Rose’s eyelids sunk lower.

“…Really.”

 ** _“Incredible potential flows through you, through your lineage.”_** Rose felt like she was floating, the voices swirling around and through her. **_“We want to help you reach it.”_**

Rose’s hand inched forward on its own, wrapping around a pen resting on the table. Her other arm slid up to lie flat in front of her.

**_“You need only follow these steps.”_ **

A hand clapped down on her shoulder, but she didn’t flinch despite the surprise.

“Rose,” Dave’s voice was calling out to her, “Hey. Stop it. What’re you doing?”

“Not now, Dave,” Rose murmured to him as she pressed the pen to her wrist. It would need to pierce her skin. A presence was guiding her hand, telling it how to move.

“Rose, stop.”

“Not now,” She repeated.

“ **Rose.** ” Dave pulled her around to face him, holding both her wrists in his hands. “No. Fuck no. You are not selling your soul to some creepy tentacle monsters.” Rose blinked rapidly, then raised her head to look at him as if just realizing he was there.

“Dave?”

“Geez.” Dave dropped her hands. “What the fuck, Rose?”

“I…” Rose lowered her head. The voices were gone, and she was left feeling dizzy and anxious. “What?”

“Goddamn.” Dave shoved the books away from her. “I can’t believe you’re still trying this stuff. Gonna tape a talisman to your forehead or something. Go to the shop like ‘hey my sister won’t stop trying to commune with big fucking evil spirits have you got anything that can help that’ and the shopkeeper’s gonna be like ‘oh yeah we get that all the time. Right this way sir.’ And then he’s gonna like lead me to the back-”

“Dave-”

“-Twenty bucks just to make sure you don’t stick your nose into something that’s gonna kill you. Even Eridan didn’t want you messing with this shit. Kanaya said-”

“ **Dave**.” Dave finally stopped and turned to face her.

“What?”

“First of all,” Rose took a deep breath, “…Thank you, for stopping me. Second of all,” She cocked an eyebrow at him, “I don’t recall giving you any descriptions of ‘creepy tentacle monsters,’ despite that being a rather accurate portrayal.” Dave was silent, then he looked away to study the bookshelves. Rose rested her elbow on the table.

“They called me a child of Derse,” Rose started, “-And if that’s so, is there not a chance you would be one as well?” She drummed her fingers against the table. “Dave, is there something you’ve failed to mention to me?”

Dave sucked in a lungful of air through his nose. When he exhaled, his whole body seemed to deflate with it.

“This really isn’t important.”

“I disagree.”

Dave didn’t answer. A space of quiet stretched between them. Rose didn’t prod, but she kept an expectant air about it.

“…Funny thing about that training I did with my Bro,” He finally muttered, “Taught me a lot about pushing away outside influences.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Rose tried to keep her voice gentle, avoiding an accusatory note. Dave shrugged. He still wouldn’t look at her.

“I dunno. I wasn’t sure how you’d take it? Or something?”

“What do they say to you?”

“The same creepy shit they say to you, probably,” He waved his hands, pitching his voice up to a sleazy tone. “Hey kiddo, where are you parents? Want some nice poooower?” Rose chuckled. It was all she could do after having almost accepted the offer. She looked down at the books sprawled out around her.

“I think-” She murmured, “-I’m afraid. Deep down, I have no idea how I’ll defeat Jack when Eridan failed to do so. His best effort had been using the power of the Horrorterrors, and they say I could become even more powerful than that. It’s- It **was** a tempting offer, for someone with no other visible options.”

“Ok but like,” Dave gestured to her, “You’ve got, mad powers, and grimdark sounds mad skeevy.”

“You’re probably right.” Rose closed the book nearest to her. “These voices, I don’t think I need them.” Her gaze sharpened and her mouth turned down into a grim line. “And yet, I don’t think we have much time to prepare another plan. The Condesce will move quickly.”

“Yeah well,” Dave shoved his hands into his pockets. “We’ll figure some shit out.” Rose offered a tiny smile.

“Yes, I believe we can figure some shit out as well.”

“Cool,” Dave jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “C’mon Hermione. Let’s get these books back behind the ‘forbidden section’ and head to bed.”

 

000

 

 

Terezi turned as the door opened and Rose walked in.

“You seem to be feeling better,” Terezi noted, “You smell as if you have your drive back.”

“Perhaps.” Rose folded her hands in front of her. “I had a question.” Terezi cocked an eyebrow at her.

“Oh?”

“Do we know Jack Noir’s weakness?” She asked. Terezi snorted.

“If we did, wouldn’t we have used it by now?” Rose didn’t answer, instead simply staring at her. Terezi chuckled, tapping her cane against the ground. “We know…” She began as a sly grin spread across her face. “-that there is a weakness. It exists, somewhere, in some form.” Rose nodded slowly.

“Do we have any…hints as to the nature of this weakness?”

“We do not,” Terezi declared. She spun her cane over her hand twice before stabbing it down into the ground again. “As you know, my powers of a Seer of Mind allow me to see consequences. To do that, I need to first be presented with a choice. So far, it’s been trial and error, casting a guess out and seeing if it leads anywhere. A rather tedious venture, having no guidance to act by.” Her grin widened. “…Although, the powers of a Seer of Light, may have more…luck, seeking out what they desire.” Rose’s eyebrows crawled upward.

“You don’t say.”

“I really don’t, actually.” Terezi inhaled deeply, taking in the view of the city. “Especially if anyone else asks if I told you anything.” She hummed to herself as she sniffed at the view of the city.

“I see,” Rose murmured, “Well then, thank you for answering my query of pure curiosity.”

“Anytime,” Terezi hummed. Rose turned to leave. “Rose.” Rose paused, then glanced back.

“Yes?”

“Be careful,” Terezi’s tone had gone sober, “You aren’t invincible. Luck can only get you so far.” Rose nodded.

“I am aware. Thank you.” She left. Terezi sighed, leaning over on her cane.

“Who thought it was a good idea to let Roxy and Dirk combine their genetics anyways?” She chuckled. “Sorry Ampora. I couldn’t have stopped her if I tried.”

 

000

 

 

“To take inventory…” Rose shuffled through her bag. “We have food, money, camping equipment…” She tapped the broach on her cloak, “Disguises. I daresay we might be halfway prepared.”

“Cool.” Dave adjusted the sword around his belt. “Uh, any idea where we’re going?”

“A bit of an inkling.” Rose looked down at the code she had written on a scrap of paper. It had come to her in a dream, and had remained pounding in her head when she awoke.

“You’re sure about this?” Dave asked as they walked into the portal room. Rose nodded.

“I am. Are you?”

“Course I am.”

“Well then, let us make haste before anyone-”

“Wait!”

They jumped and spun around, but relaxed just a little when they saw it was just John running toward them, waving his arm to get their attention.

“John,” Rose’s voice was polite, but firm. “We have to go. We’ll be back, if all goes well-”

“I’m not stopping you!” John interrupted her, and Rose noticed he had an old bag slung over one shoulder. “I’m coming with you guys! You left me behind before but I caught you this time!” He flashed them a wide grin. “I’ll be useful, I promise! Come on!”

Rose and Dave exchanged a look, then Rose fixed him with a grim look.

“John, this will be dangerous. You are under no obligation to come. Do you understand?”

“Uh, yeah?” John cocked his head to the side. “But I wanna come anyways! Sounds more interesting than just waiting for Jack to come back!”

Rose smiled, feeling the anxiety in her chest lighten just a little with another member to their group.

“Very well. Do you have a disguise?”

“Uh…” John dug through his bag, finally pulling out, to Rose’s bafflement, a pair of goggly-eyed glasses with a mustache attached. “Yeah!”

“John,” Rose offered a weak smile, “No.”

“Aw, c’mon!”

Another quick run to the storeroom later, John was affixing a bright blue broach to his cloak as they stood on the platform. Rose closed her eyes for a brief moment, then opened them to look around. John was shifting around impatiently, fiddling with his sash. Dave was standing perfectly still, fists clenched at his sides.

Their presence comforted her. With the two of them, it was hard to not believe they had a chance. She then took a deep breath and recited the code.

Rose felt the spell activated, then she was hit with a freezing wind and a chill around her feet. She blinked rapidly as she found snowflakes flying into her face. They were now standing in a snow-covered forest, apparently in the midst of a blizzard.

She heard Dave swear and turned to find him bundling his cloak closer around himself. Rose smirked and offered him a pitying pat on the back. She looked around, taking in the frozen trees and snow-covered hills.

“The land of Frost and Frogs, I believe.” She tucked her own cloak closer. “I’m glad we packed some extra blankets.”

“Hang on.” John took a deep breath in, then spread his hands out and exhaled. The air stirred around them, and the harsh wind stilled, though the trees around them still thrashed from its presence. Rose gave a grateful nod to John, who beamed.

“Now then,” Rose scanned the area, then pointed forward through the trees. “I believe that is the direction we should take.”

 

000

 

“YOU TOLD HER * **WHAT** *!?” Karkat slammed his fists on the table. Terezi rolled her eyes.

“Calm down, Karkat.”

“HOW THE SHITTING FUCK AM I SUPPOSED TO BE CALM?!”

“Well for one thing, stop screaming!” She sighed and rubbed her temples. “It was the best option, ok??”

“HOW THE FUCK WAS THAT THE BEST OPTION?!” Karkat threw his arm out toward the door. “THEY JUST RAN OFF TO WHO-KNOWS-WHERE TO BASICALLY GO **LOOKING** FOR JACK!”

“They’re looking for Jack’s **weakness** ,” Terezi shot back. “We’re running out of time! The pieces are running out on this chessboard and the Condesce is going take her momentum and strike again at any moment!”

“That doesn’t mean we can let a couple of kids go running off on some honkbird chase! Do you even know if they’re coming back!?” Terezi paused, then shrugged.

“Probably.”

Karkat made a sound that was a mix between a shriek and a dying gargle, then turned and slammed his head into a bookshelf. Kanaya entered the room, face grave.

“It appears John Egbert may have gone with them.”

“Are you fucking serious?” Karkat dragged his face away from the books to glare at her. “I don’t even want to fucking **know** what those three could get up to together.”

“Aw, c’mon Karkat,” Terezi chortled and slapped him on the back. “Doesn’t it remind you of us? Going on all sorts of crazy adventures when the university wasn’t looking?”

“Don’t remind me,” He grumbled, “Thinking about it makes my blood pressure spike.”

“They’ve got spunk and smarts,” Terezi continued. She squeezed his shoulder to comfort him. “You know they’re capable. They’ll be fine.”

“We better hope so.” Karkat groaned and shuffled his fingers through his hair. “I am **not** getting haunted by a pissed off Eridan.”

 

000

 

“It will be getting dark soon.” Rose looked up at the clouded sky. The snow still hadn’t let up, but John’s wind was doing a good job keeping it off him. He was even able to clear a path as they walked. “We should probably find a place to settle down for the night.”

“There’s a cave up ahead, I think.” John pointed ahead of them, sending a gust of wind as he did so to part the snowflakes so they could see better. A small entrance in a wall of stone peered back at them. Rose nodded.

“That looks fine.”

The cave was large enough for the three of them. Dave and Rose gathered some branches while John built the snow up around the entrance to act as insulation. As evening fell, they gathered inside and Rose set the branches alight.

“Any idea how much longer we have to go?” Dave asked as they passed around food for an improvised dinner. Rose closed her eyes.

“Not exactly. A few days, perhaps?”

“Where exactly are we going, anyways?” John asked. Rose offered a tense smile in return.

“We’re not exactly sure. I’m relying almost entirely on my intuition.”

John’s eyes went wide, and for a second Rose was worried that he regretted his decision to come with them.

“That’s amazing!” He gasped, “You knew which area to teleport to, and you’re guiding us just based on your powers?!”

“I…suppose so?” Rose brushed her hair behind her ear. “Unfortunately, that means I’m not...entirely sure what we’ll be finding, or facing.”

“That’s alright!” John grinned back at her. “It’s kinda exciting!” Rose couldn’t help returning the smile.

“That’s certainly one way to look at it.”

“What do you think we’ll find?” John leaned back to stare at the top of the cave. “A weapon? Like a sword?”

“I really don’t know,” Rose murmured. “Which is, concerning. I feel like I should have at least an inkling.”

“I’m sure it’s fine! Hey, maybe it’s a spell!”

“Dog treats,” Dave guessed, “Or sausages.”

They spent an hour or so discussing what the weakness could be, eventually getting sidetracked by Dave’s long rambling about silver and werewolves. Finally, John cut in by yawning and stretching his arms over his head.

“I dunno about you guys, but I’m beat! Should we turn in?”

“Indeed.” Rose detached her bedroll from her bag. “We’ll set out again in the morning.”

Between the fire and the insulating snow outside, it wasn’t too cold, but the three of them still curled up close together, if more for comfort than warmth. Rose lay on her side, watching the fire burn and flicker. She could hear Dave and John breathing evenly behind her.

She was, in all honesty, a little scared to sleep. The dreams hadn’t come to her last night, but that was certainly no guarantee they were gone for good. She hesitated, then slid her arm up around Dave’s shoulders. It was still baffling to think of him as her brother, and yet, not baffling at all.

She smiled faintly, drinking in the warmth of the fire and letting her eyes fall closed.

In her dreams, she travelled through the snow-filled forest once again, but this time it was pitch dark. Only the light from a small glowing lantern was guiding her as she travelled, slowly, following a path in the snow. The path was smooth and wavering, as if some force had swept it away.

It looked, familiar, as did the route she was taking through and around the trees. A hill loomed up, through which she could make out a small hole in the snow, where a warm fire flickered.

Rose snapped awake with a gasp, then threw her sleeping bag off and scrambled up. “We need to go,” She hissed, shaking John awake as Dave sat up. “We need to go **now**.”

“Uh, huh?” John ruffled a hand through his mussed hair. “Wha-”

“Someone is coming,” Rose grabbed her bag, abandoning her bedroll, to walk swiftly over to the entrance. She cleared away some of the snow to peer outside. In the falling snow, she could see dark shapes moving toward them. Dave came up to stand beside her, sword drawn.

“Not friendly?” He guessed.

“Condesce soldiers.” Rose scowled and turned back to the cave. “They followed the trail, though I’m not sure how they knew we were here.”

“Drat!” John’s eyes flashed with guilt. “I should’ve wiped it away as we went!”

“It’s not your fault, John.” Rose glanced around the cave. “There’s only one way out. I don’t…I don’t think we can fight them. Let’s make a break for it.”

“I’ll throw the snow up.” John raised his fists. “It’ll distract them, probably, then I can turn into the wind! So don’t worry about me.”

“Run to the left,” Rose said, “Around the cave. Is everyone ready?” Dave and John nodded. Rose nodded in return. “Let’s go.”

John sent a blast of wind at the barrier of snow, sending it scattering out into the group. Rose heard shouts of surprise and Alternian swearing as they rushed out of the cave. Rose fired a wild bolt of light that would crackle and spark like a firework, confusing them further, then sprinted around the cave with Dave at her heels.

They screeched to a stop. A row of trolls faced them on the other side, weapons drawn. One grinned smugly, showing off teeth like needles.

Dave shoved Rose behind him and raised his sword. “Run,” He told her. Rose blinked, then scowled.

“Dave, I’m not leaving.” Her head whipped around for another route. “We can’t take them alone. John’s still distracting the others-”

“Rose just,” Dave’s eyes didn’t leave the trolls as he shoved at Rose with one hand. “Go. I’ll keep them busy.”

“Dave, I am **not** going to-”

“Rose.” Dave took a step toward the trolls. They had started to approach, circling around to flank them. “Rose, this is, this is what I’m made for. I, am going, to keep you safe. Just run. I’ll be fine.” The words sent a sick feeling through Rose’s stomach. She winced, then scowled and was about to retort when a heavy gust of wind crashed into their backs, scooping both of them up. At the same time a heavy cloud of snow whipped past them, turning everything into a white stinging world.

Rose curled herself into a ball and squeezed her eyes shut, letting the wind bounce her around through the sky. After a few minutes, they thumped down into a snowbank. Rose blinked rapidly and sat up, brushing the snow off her head. She summoned a tiny light, just enough to see Dave sitting beside her, and John floating above her.

“You guys ok?” He whispered.

“I believe so…” Rose glanced at Dave, who nodded.

“I couldn’t carry both of you super far,” John helped blow some of the snow off them, “so we should get out of here.”

“I agree.” Rose got to her feet. She shot Dave a worried look, bit her lip, then shook her head and wrapped her cloak closer around herself. “Let’s go.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Somewhere in the afterlife, a Seadweller is screaming and a human woman is laughing.
> 
> Wow who would have thought that Dave's conditioning would have led him to suffer from some self-worth issues?


	15. Ever Onward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a clue is found, a vessel borrowed, and a terror spurned.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> IIIII made it! Monday update!  
> Updates may slow down a bit as we near these final chapters. ;-; If I think I'm not gonna make a Monday, I'll announce it on my tumblr blog LunethWrites.

“Whoa.” Dave tugged his cloak a little away from himself. “Anyone notice it's suddenly getting warmer?”

“Yes, I feel it too.” Rose pulled her hood down, then pointed ahead of them. “The snow ends abruptly as well. I believe we are leaving a Land, and whatever magic is responsible for this climate.”

“Damn,” Dave glanced over his shoulder at the forest behind them, “magic is some weird shit.”

“Indeed.”

The trees thinned, and the three of them found themselves standing on the edge of a ridge, looking down at the ocean below. Illuminated by the mid-morning sun, a town was nestled up against the edge of the shore. Ships bobbed in the bay and magenta flags with the Condesce's symbol waved in the breeze.

“A troll society.” Rose pressed her thumb against her broach. “Disguises then.”

Dave showed John how to activate his own while Rose changed. John followed the instructions and soon found himself marveling at his grey hands and horns. He flashed the two of them a grin, showing off a mouthful of jagged teeth.

“This is awesome!” Rose’s mouth twitched upwards.

“Quite. Can you speak Alternian?” His smile faded.

“Uh, no. Except for a few words.”

“Best to give off the ‘strong, silent’ impression then.” Rose looked him up and down. “A blueblood. I doubt people will bother you, and they’ll assume Dave is my servant.” She turned back toward the village and lowered the hood of her cloak, letting her fins flare outward. “Let me do the talking.”

They did their best to act natural as they headed down the path to the town. Rose kept her steps brisk and her head high. She would be the one drawing the most attention, so best to play the part. As they headed into town, its idyllic disposition faded somewhat. It was a bustling town, obviously heavy in trading due to its bay, but slumped against the buildings were a number of trolls dressed in ragged clothes. They kept their heads down. Some had a few trinkets laid out in front of them, others had signs advertising services: weapons sharpened, clothing stitched, even assassination. Few trolls interacted with them, and those who did were never above a goldblood. The rest walked swiftly by without so much as a glance. In fact, as Rose approached, the ragged trolls scurried back, some cringing in fear and others practically diving out of her way.

Rose felt a twinge of guilt. Most of them looked filthy, and rather emaciated. Many shivered in the thin rags that they had. She wanted to toss them a few coins, but she knew such an action would draw immediate shock, confusion, and suspicion.

A commotion turned their attention to the right. One troll, a burly-looking cobaltblood, was dragging one of the ragged trolls, a frail rustblood, up by the hair. The rustblood screamed and flailed at his attacker. He seemed to be clutching something to his chest, something that the colbaltblood was grabbing at. The cobaltblood rammed the other troll against the wall. He slumped, and a dusty trinket bounced onto the ground. The cobaltblood snatched it up, then smirked and kicked the rustblood in the ribs.

Out of the corner of her eye, Rose saw John moving toward the scene. Her eyes snapped wide and her mind searched frantically for a way to stop him.

She stepped in quickly and wound her arms up with one of his. “Dear…” She pitched her voice low and a little sultry. “Come this way. I want to see this store.” It wouldn’t be so unheard of for a Seadweller to be quadranted with a blueblood. She tugged him firmly away from the scene. Despite not understanding her Alternian, he caught on enough to fall into step with her.

She heard Dave snort behind them. Deigning to ignore him, she pulled them into the first shop she saw. She glanced over her shoulder as they entered. The cobaltblood had left, and the rustblood was slowly getting to his feet.

The shopkeeper straightened up as they entered. “Welcome, madam!” He greeted her enthusiastically. “An honor to have you in this store! Could I interest you in-” Rose cut him off with a cold glare. Extended conversation could lead to the realization she wasn’t completely fluent. The shopkeeper closed his mouth fast, and Rose went on her way pretending to examine the wares.

She picked up a small dagger, and realized her hand was trembling. Her eyebrows drew together. Was it anger? Fear? She could see John staring at the wares beside her with a glazed expression, and almost regretted pulling him away.

 _“We would have given ourselves away,”_ She rationalized, _“It was too dangerous.”_ The thoughts only served to make her feel powerless, and that was something she couldn’t stand. She had resolved on a mission of revenge to take down one of the most powerful beings in the Incipisphere. It was not a quest partaken by one who accepted being powerless.

Powerless to save Eridan. Powerless to save her mother. Powerless to-

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She was not powerless. She had a goal: Find Jack’s weakness. Then, with the Condesce’s general defeated, leaving her weakened, and Feferi planning rebellion, then Rose could turn her focus to bringing about change to this town, to this empire.

She was hit with a rush of anxiety and had to dig her nails into her palms to keep herself composed. She grabbed John’s arm and pulled him down to crouch behind the shelf. Dave moved in quickly to kneel beside them.

They heard a faint pop, then the shopkeeper made a startled noise.

“O-Oh! Noir! Sir!” Rose peeked between the shelves to see the shopkeeper strike some kind of a nervous salute. “An honor to see you as always! I-” Jack cut him off with a harsh growl, then spoke. His words were rumbling and slurred so much that Rose couldn’t pick out the meaning, but the shopkeeper nodded readily enough. “Of course, Sir! The shipment has already been sent out, it should arrive in a day’s time.” Rose inched a little to the side so she could see Jack. He was hunched over a little, his scarred eye to them. Rage boiled up in Rose when she caught sight of the blue striped scarf wrapped around his neck. She dug her fingers into the shelf and had to fight herself from strangling him with it right this second.

Something else caught her eye: A flicker of gold on his hand. She had noticed Eridan’s rings had been scattered by his body. On gathering them up, she had noted a few missing. Now she found them, sparkling on Jack’s fingers.

She felt Dave’s hand rest on her shoulder, and used the sensation to ground herself. No use getting this far to throw herself forward in some suicidal attack.

“Will that…be all, sir?” The shopkeeper asked hesitantly. Jack gave another a low growl, then raised his head to sniff the air. Rose went tense.

Jack's head jerked around and his jaws snapped around the chain of sausages hanging nearby. He ripped off a chunk and swallowed it in one gulp, then vanished in a flash of green.

The shopkeeper sighed heavily and slumped down over the counter. Rose closed her eyes and waited for her legs to stop shaking. She then stood up and calmly walked over to him.

“So,” She rested one elbow on the counter, “Where would this shipment be going?” The shopkeeper blinked and leaned back at little in surprise, then scowled.

“That's private business…Miss.” Rose cocked an eyebrow, and had one of her fin ears twitch in annoyance.

“Oh really?” The shopkeeper’s eyes flickered away from her hard gaze. “How much is he paying you for it?” The clerk's mouth pressed together tight, and Rose knew she had struck gold.

“He...” The shopkeeper started uneasily, “He doesn't. General of her Imperiousness. It's empire business.”

“Of course,” Rose continued coolly. She flicked her hand at Dave and jerked her head at the mangled chain of sausages. He nodded and quickly unhooked it to bring it over to her. She held it up to the shopkeeper for him to inspect. “And this must be empire business too, then. Doubtful you'll get much of a price for his leftovers.” The shopkeeper’s mouth turned down even farther.

“Still,” Rose mused as she pretended to examine the sausages, “It does look like high-quality meat. You run quite the respectable store here, then.” She reached into her pocket and drew out her purse. A gift from Eridan, it was decorated in a Seadweller style.

“I suppose I'll take it,” She declared, then laid the sausages on the counter to open her purse. She counted out one, two, three times the amount that would be acceptable for even a full string of sausages, then set it on the counter and smiled sweetly at the shopkeeper. “Perhaps that will cover it? Also, would you happen to know a scenic location around these parts? For leisure. Any locations you can recommend?” The shopkeeper stared at her for a long time, eyes narrowed and scrutinizing. In one swift motion, before Rose could blink he had swept the money off the counter into his pocket.

“Island out in the ocean,” He grunted, “Head west out of the harbor for a full day, can't miss it.” He shoved the sausages at her, “There's nothing there,” His tone took on a warning note, “Nothing but a volcano, and some old ruins. No settlements, no people.” Rose nodded briskly.

“Sounds like the perfect place for some peace and quiet. Thank you.” She took the sausages and went striding out the door, John and Dave following at her heel.

“So,” John whispered to her under his breath as they walked outside, “What were you guys saying?”

“We're looking for an island west of here,” Rose murmured, “We'll need a boat.”

“Uh...” John looked down at the boats as they headed down to the docks. “Do you think anyone will just, lend one to us?”

“Well I certainly don't have enough to buy one.” Rose frowned down at her purse. “That show of faux opulence took quite the chunk out of our funds, not that I would have had enough to buy a boat to begin with.”

“We could build a raft?” John suggested. “As long as it has a sail, I can push it!”

“I'm not sure how well that would fare for the trip,” Rose muttered, “It would be rather uncomfortable if it fell apart halfway there. It's a day's journey. How long can you fly?”

“Uh, like three hours by myself, so maybe like, one hour carrying you guys?”

“Dave's hoverboard has enough charge for about three hours. I don't think-”

“Hey uh, guys?” Dave spoke up to get their attention, “You know, uh, between me, who can jump through the timestream, Rose, who can see the future or luck or whatever, and John, who can do the windy thing, we could just like, steal one.” Rose and John looked at him, then at each other. Dave shrugged. “Just saying.”

“…A small one,” Rose murmured, “That wouldn't be especially missed.”

“If they try to chase us, I can speed us up and slow them down.” John chimed in.

“Well then,” Rose clapped her hands together, “Shall we go shopping?”

They wandered down to the harbor, where trolls bustled here and there on their business. Multiple ships bobbed at the docks, ranging from heavy freighters to small rowboats.

“Small?” John suggested in Alternian, jerking his head to a tiny boat to the side. Rose shook her head. They were bound to be seen by someone, and it wouldn’t do for a Seadweller and a blueblood to be seen on a craft like that. Also, it probably would not be able to stand the trip. Also, it probably belonged to some poor lowblood just trying to make a living.

On the other hand, she wasn’t about to potentially enrage some highblood by taking their prized yacht. She reached out for the Light, trusting it to guide her toward a suitable mark. Instead, she felt a creeping coldness in her spine.

**_“We could give you the power to level everything in this town and take what you want.”_ **

Her eyes snapped open and she gasped. Dave and John both stepped closer in concern.

“Trouble?” Dave asked. Rose shook her head.

“I’m fine,” She muttered in Alternian, because a few passing trolls had paused to glance at her out of the corner of her eye. She raised her head and her eyes fell on a small vessel nearby. It had a motor, but also a lowered sail, and a small cabin. Not only that, but it appeared unoccupied, left tied up with some kind of lock. Rose got the “feeling” the owner wasn’t around. However, plenty of witnesses milled about, and it really didn’t look like the kind of ship that would be owned by a Seadweller, even a young one.

A plan popped up into her mind. She straightened up, then let a smug, carefree smile rise up on her lips. She began to walk forward at an unhurried but purposeful clip straight toward the boat. John and Dave followed her lead.

One summer, Eridan had taught both her and Dave how to rig a sail. Now, she looked at Dave and gave a purposeful jerk of her chin. He ducked his head and hopped onto the ship and started to rig the sail.

A few trolls had stopped by to watch. Rose glanced at them and raised an eyebrow. They knew exactly what was going on. She knew that they knew what was going on. In a moment, they had shrugged and hurried on by. It wasn’t **their** boat that she had suddenly taken a likening to.

Dave got the sail up and Rose and John stepped aboard. Rose looked at John and he nodded. A breeze stirred the sail. Rose turned to the lock on the boat, and with a casual flick drew one of her wands out and shot it. It burst apart and its pieces plunked into the water. She turned and stared ahead as the boat began to move.

Dave steered the boat out of the harbor and turned west. No one stopped them. As the town began to shrink in the distance, Rose sat down on the bench and forced her muscles to relax.

“I think we’re clear,” She murmured. Dave gave a low whistle.

“That was pretty slick. I can see my cool composure rubbed off on you.”

“It would seem so.” Rose shaded her eyes to stare out at the ocean. “We have a day’s travel, so our food and water should last.”

“I’ll keep the wind up!” John declared. He threw his arms up and a heavy gust crashed into them, moving the sailboat to a fast clip.

“Don’t strain yourself,” Rose warned him. John just flashed her a thumbs-up and a grin in response.

“Oh, don’t worry this is-” He paused for dramatic effect. Rose closed her eyes and sighed. She could sense the end of this sentence. John winked. “-A breeze.”

“Dude.” Dave said.

“What!? I had to!”

 

000

 

Rose rested her arms on the side of the boat, staring up at the night sky above her. They had turned the disguises off to conserve their power, so she was back to her human self. For caution’s sake, they were taking shifts keeping an eye out for trouble.

The door opened. She didn’t bother turning as she heard footsteps approaching her.

“Hey,” Dave said, “Ready to switch?”

“Mm…” Rose continued to stare up at the sky. “…I’ve noticed the stars here are identical to the ones on Earth.” Dave came over to stand next to her.

“Really?”

“Yes.” She pointed up at the sky. “There’s Aquarius.” Dave looked upwards to squint at the mass of lights in the sky.

“Yeah, I’ll take your word for it.”

“You’d see them better if you took your shades off.”

“What? No.”

“David, we are in the middle of an ocean.”

“No.”

“Just a little? They really are beautiful out here.”

Dave groaned, then inched his shades up to look. In the darkness, Rose sensed his eyes going wide.

“Whoa,” He said. Rose smirked and looked upwards again.

“Eridan taught me the constellations,” She murmured, watching the shapes out of the stars. “He told me about how they could be used to find one’s way. Aquarius was his favorite.”

“Huh.”

They stood in silence for a while, then Dave cleared her throat.

“What was she like?”

“Who?” Rose felt she had to ask, even though she knew the answer.

“M…” Dave waved a hand at her. “Mmmiss Lalonde. Your mom.”

“Our mom.”

“I guess.”

“She was…” Rose’s eyelids lowered in thought. “She was kind. A little immature, but certainly wiser than I thought.” She paused for a second. “You never even met her, I suppose.”

“Nah.” Dave drummed his hands on the boat. “When we met she was already like, y’know.” Rose nodded.

“What was…our father like?”

Dave didn’t answer for a long time. His hands gripped the edge of the boat tightly as he stared down at the water lapping against the side.

“He was cool,” He finally said, “Strong, the definition of badass, like, the most badass person you would ever meet. He…” Dave shrugged. “I mean, he’s dead, so I can’t really say anything **bad** about him. Don’t speak ill of the dead or something? Seems mad rude.”

“Eridan didn’t seem to like him very much,” Rose pointed out.

“Yeah well-” Dave’s voice took a defensive note. “-He taught me to fight, and flashstep, which saved your life.”

“I can’t deny that.” Rose glanced down at your hands. “…You said, he meant for this to happen, that he trained you so you would one day be my Knight.”

“Yeah, I guess.”

“Dave I-” Rose clasped her hands together. “I don’t want you to die for me. About what happened in the forest, you were ready to throw your life away for me. I don’t want that.”

“Well-” Dave started but Rose waved her hand to cut him off.

“Let me finish. I’m worried, the things you’ve been put through, the expectations put on you. I should have seen this earlier, with all the talk about you being my Knight. I don’t, I don’t want you to think your life is worth less than mine. You’re my brother. I don’t want you to throw your life away for me.” Her fingers dug into the hard material of the boat. “I don’t think I could handle losing anyone else.”

Dave was silent for a minute, then he sighed and rubbed the back of his head.

“Rose, I’m not like, on the lookout for some opportunity of heroic dramatic death. And I-” He let his arm drop down to his side. “-I want to protect you because I care about you, as my sister and my best friend. There’s no way I’m gonna be able to stop doing that.”

“Just promise me this:” Rose raised one finger. “Remember to value your own life, and don’t take any unnecessary, foolish risks.”

“Deal.” Dave offered his hand. Rose gave a small smile as she shook it.

“And, in addition, I will be protecting you as well, of course. I hope you realize that.”

“Yeah, I figured.” Dave jerked his thumb over his shoulder. “C’mon Seer, you should get some shuteye.”

“Very well.” Rose cracked a yawn behind her fist. “Goodnight, Dave.”

“Don’t snore and wake up poor John.” She snorted.

“I do **not** snore.”

“Several years of sleeping over begs to differ.”

“That was Eridan.”

“You liar.” He shoved her lightly toward the door. “Shoo. Witches need their beauty sleep.”

“My word!” She gasped and pressed a hand to her chest as she moved toward the door. “My dear brother, I am a sorceress!”

“More like sorcer-ASS.”

“That was weak.”

“Go to bed.”

Rose chuckled as she stepped into the cabin. She used a small glowing light to guide her way. John was fast asleep in one of the bunks. He was on his back, but his breathing was clear and easy; no surprise for a Breath magician.

Rose settled down in the open cot, piling up some clothes for a pillow. Her chest felt a little lighter after their conversation. It was doubtful Dave would suddenly lose all his self-neglecting habits immediately, but perhaps it was a step in the right direction.

The gentle rocking of the boat lulled her into relaxation. She let her eyes drift closed and curled herself up tight in her cloak.

The rocking of the boat gradually gave way to a sensation of floating. The air around her cooled and became thicker around her, brushing against her back like currents of water. Softly, but rising in volume, she began to hear voices.

Rose opened her eyes.

The shifting masses and moving shadows surrounded her once again. She breathed in and let the cool darkness fill her lungs. She regarded the shapes silently. The voices faded to silence. They were regarding her back, waiting for her to make the first move.

“I think, I have perhaps formed an idea of what you want,” She declared. The air trembled around her as the monsters stirred. “The influence you have in our world is limited, but by the vessels who volunteer themselves, you are allowed to bring some of your influence into it.” Her eyes flickered left and right, where more creatures watched her. “I do not know what your end goals could be, or if they intersect with mine. Your offer of power is tempting-” She pressed one hand to her chest and bowed. “Regardless, I believe I will have to reject your offer.”

Another tremor ran through the air as the creatures seemed to all shift as one. Rose swallowed. Murmurs rose up around her, starting quietly, but rising in power. She could feel the sounds bearing down on her, threatening to burst her head open like an overripe pumpkin.

“I don’t require your services,” She whispered through grit teeth, “I don’t require your power.”

The shapes rippled in the darkness, then they were gone. No whispers. No movement. Rose waited, and waited, then slowly, slowly, she exhaled, allowing her body to relax. She felt herself fading from whatever realm she was in, and hoped dearly she would not come again.

She had no more dreams for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I kind of figure a semi-aquatic being with gills would snore a lot if he were sleeping out of the water.
> 
> Rose sure is lucky an expectation for Alternian is for everyone to have a unique individual accent. "Wow, that Seadweller's quirk almost sounds like a human speaking Alternian, not that I'd ever mention that to her. I wanna live."


	16. My Weakness, My Weapon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a new friend is made, an old enemy is dealt with, and some things are finally accepted.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're wrapping up! But not too late to meet a new friend, I guess.

“Land ho!” John shouted and pointed at the approaching speck on the horizon. Dave rested a hand on his sword.

“Guards?”

“None that I can see, no.” Rose shaded her eyes to look ahead. “Still, we should be cautious.”

As the island came into view, they could make out several features. The biggest was probably the volcano rising out of the highest point on the island. Near it perched a thin tower with some kind of globe at the top. The rest of the island was covered in a thick mass of jungle.

They hit the sand and dragged the boat up the beach until they were close enough to the jungle to moor it to a tree. John shaded his eyes to look up at the sky.

“Should I fly up and investigate that building?” Rose's mouth twisted in thought.

“Can you remain intangible and invisible as you do so?”

“Well...kinda?” John shrugged. “The thing is, when I'm wind, I feel things more in currents and air, like how the wind brushes against stuff. If there's a person, I could feel their breath, but not really what they look like. I'd have to like, have my eyes back for that.”

“It might be too dangerous.” Rose stared into the undergrowth. “We should stay together. On foot, then.”

They began to wade their way into the thick undergrowth of the jungle. Dave took the lead, slicing through vines when they became too much trouble. It was hard work, and soon all three of them were sweating and panting in the humid air.

They eventually found relief as the trees thinned to reveal a lake. The stone columns of some ancient ruins rose out of the water. They took a rest near the shore. Dave cupped some of the water and splashed it against his face.

“We're a little closer to the building!” John spoke up, pointing at the white tower on the mountain.

“That looks like it will be a rather arduous climb,” Rose muttered, splashing some water on herself as well.

“I could probably float us all up there,” John offered. 

“That would be-” Rose led off, then her eyes sharpened. Dave took a step closer.

“Rose?”

“…Duck.”

“Huh?”

“Duck!” Rose shouted before throwing herself down. Dave jerked to the side as a large metallic object whistled past his head to hit the stone monument with a heavy *thunk.*

“...What.” Dave hesitantly reached up to touch the harpoon head, then the rope attached to the end. “What...” His head slowly moved up to follow the path of the rope extending out from the sky. The sound of yelling reached them, soft, but getting louder rapidly.

“AaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHH!! LOOK OUT!!”

Dave had just enough time to brace his stance before a mass of green fabric and brown hair crashed into him, bowling them both over. Rose stood up as John drifted a little closer.

“I told you to duck,” Rose informed Dave, who glared at her before turning his attention to what had hit him.

“I'm so sorry!” The projectile, a girl their age in a green dress, sprung up, pulling Dave up with her. “Are you hurt? How many fingers am I holding up?” She splayed out three fingers in Dave’s face, making him blink and lean back.

“Pardon,” Rose took a step forward, “If I could ask, who are you?”

“Oh!” She spun around to face her, fixing her glasses which had been knocked askew but remained unbroken. “Hi! I’m Jade. Nice to meet you!” She stuck her hand out. Rose hesitated, then reached out and clasped it. Upon contact, Jade crushed her fingers in a tight grip and shook her entire arm hard enough Rose feared it would be pulled from her socket.

“A pleasure,” Rose said, rubbing her hand. “My name is Rose Lalonde. These are Dave and John.” She gestured to the two of them. Jade beamed.

“Hi!” She clapped her hands together and leaned in as excited expression changed into one of intense seriousness, though her bright green eyes still sparked behind her glasses. “How did you guys **get** here?! Does Jack know you’re here?!”

“He does not.” Rose turned back the way they had come. “We took a boat-”

“A boat!?” Jade leaped forward to grab her shirt, making Rose jerk back. “Can you take me there?!” She demanded, “Off this island! Now!!”

“Well I-” Rose glanced at the others, who shrugged. “I suppose we could-” She broke off as a sharp awareness hit her mind. At the same time, they saw a shadow of a figure pass over them and looked up in time to see something black dart through the trees.

“Oh no!” Jade spun around to look in the direction it had gone. “It’s Jack! He’s gonna see I’m not inside! Quick!” She shoved the three of them away from the lake and pointed at a cluster of giant flowers by the trees. “Hide behind those! The smell is so strong, he won’t be able to sense you!”

“What about-” John started but Jade cut him off.

“He can’t hurt me! Just go!”

She gave them a hard push that sent them all stumbling toward the flowers. They ducked under the giant petals to crouch beside them. Rose covered her nose with one arm to try to ward off some of the pungent sweet smell coming from the blooms.

Jade turned around so her back was to them, and a second later Jack appeared in front of her. The rope she had ridden down to the lake fell to the ground, cut.

Jack stared down at her and one ear twitched in annoyance. Rose couldn’t see Jade’s expression, but she could see the tension in her shoulders.

Jack’s ears pricked up and he raised his head. He sniffed the air, then his head swept from side to side, tasting the air. Rose didn’t breathe. Her fists clenched into her skirt, then one hand reached slowly for her needles.

John raised both his hands level with his chest, and a gentle breeze swept past them toward Bec. As the heavy scent of the flowers hit him he gagged, then snuffled and shook his head. He growled and the clearing lit up green. When it faded, both he and Jade were gone.

“…Goddamn.” Dave muttered. John sat up. His face was lined with concern.

“Should we have let him take her? What’s he gonna do to her??”

“I think she will be unharmed.” Rose got to her feet, staring at the ground thoughtfully. “I believe-” She declared, “-we have found Jack’s weakness.”

Rose raised her head to look at the tower in the sky. A black figure appeared in the window and took flight, heading east. “She’s probably in there.” She shaded her eyes and squinted at the tower, trying to gauge the distance. “Do you think we can make it before nightfall?”

“Maybe!” John chirped. Rose smiled. She had to admire his optimism.

There didn’t appear to be any sort of pathway toward the tower, therefore much of the trip involved hacking and slicing through the undergrowth to make progress. Rose tore through another vine and had the distinct feeling she wasn’t going to be having salad on her plate anytime soon. The sap was unavoidable, and soon all three of them were covered, which made it all the more easy for bits of plants, dirt, and the occasional fly to get stuck on them.

Finally, the jungle ended into mountain, and they had a short hike up to the base of the tower.

“Huh…” Dave pressed his hand over the steel doors, which showed no sign of a door or even a control panel. “Should we blast our way in?”

“Let’s not be hasty.” Rose looked up at the window she had seen Jack leave. It was near the very top of the tower, so much that she could barely see it. “John, can you carry us up there?”

“Huh?” John followed her finger up the tower. “Uhhhh…” His eyebrows drew together. “That…window up there?”

“Is it too far?”

“Nnnooo…” He rubbed the back of his neck. “It’s just…” He shook his head, then beamed. “Yeah, sure! Hold on!” He raised his arms and before either of them could protest, a heavy wind rose up and lifted them all off the ground. Rose curled up on instinct, covering her head with her arms. It wasn’t until now that she realized she should have suggested they go one at a time to help John’s concentration.

Her back smacked against the back of the tower and she winced. That was going to bruise. The wind ebbed a bit. She cracked one eye open.

The first thing she saw was the ground far below her. Her stomach dropped and she immediately clamped them shut again.

Her arm bumped against the tower again, then her knee. Then, in a heavy gust she went flying to the side.

The wind cut out and she fell onto a hard floor. She rolled over and opened her eyes just in time to see Dave fly in through the window after her. John came in next, arms spread out as he had the wind set him down on his feet.

“Sorry for the landing!” He rubbed the back of his head. “I had a little trouble uh, getting you guys through the window.”

“It’s fine. Thank you.” Rose got to her feet and looked around. They were standing in what appeared to be a bedroom. At first it looked typical, but as she looked farther some odd things stood out to her. Stuffed animals littered the floor, some ripped as if they had been chewed on by an animal. Mingling in with them were what appeared to be random objects. Sunglasses, hats, pieces of jewelry. Many of them were broken. Rose poked at a tattered cloak with her foot.

“Hey.” Dave nudged her to get her attention, then pointed across the room. There was a bed against one wall. On it, was sprawled out, eyes closed.

Rose walked swiftly to the bed and gave her a quick look-over. She didn’t seem hurt, only asleep. Rose gingerly grasped her shoulder, then shook it.

“Jade?” She called out. Jade stirred. Her eyes opened, then snapped wide when they focused on Rose. Jade blinked rapidly, then sat up. Her hand jerked out and scrambled for the glasses on the bedside table. She slapped them on and whipped around to look at them again.

“I thought you were a dream!” She gasped. “How did you get up here!?”

“We came in through the window,” Dave jerked his thumb over his shoulder, “to rescue the fair princess.” Jade laughed as she swung around out of bed.

“Seriously? We have to be like 50 meters up!” She pressed her lips together and scrutinized them. “And what are you even doing here anyways? Did you know I was here?”

“Not exactly.” Rose clasped her hands together. “We were looking for Jack Noir’s weakness.”

“Oh!” Jade’s hands flew up to her mouth. “That might be me!”

“Because he can’t hurt you?” Rose asked. Jade bit her lip and nodded.

“It’s because, well…” She sighed and clasped her hands together, then took a deep breath.

“I had a familiar,” She started, “A, A magical animal companion? I-” She gulped, “H-His name was Bec, he was a dog, kinda, and I really loved him! And his loved me too! We were inseparable.”

“Oooook…” Dave answered. Rose nudged him with her elbow.

“Bec was-” Jade stared at the floor. “-He was a good dog, my best friend! And he was really powerful too. He could do incredible things like teleport and move things! I, It’s hard to explain but-” She splayed her fingers out and brought them together. “We were bonded, magically too? Like, part of his power came from me, too.”

She paused, then took a deep breath and raised her head to meet Rose’s eyes.

“They killed him.” Her voice cracked a little as she spoke. “They, The Condesce and Jack, they killed him, in a ritual, to take his power. They focused his powers into an amulet, and that gave Jack his powers.” Jade crossed her arms and turned to stare out the window. “I think, he also ended up absorbing Bec’s love for me, but in a kind of weird, fragmented way.”

“He brings you toys.” Rose guessed, indicating one of the stuffed animals with her foot. Jade nodded.

“Yeah, he stops by to drop those off every once in a while.” Her nose wrinkled up. “Along with his, ugh, trophies.”

“Is that what these are?” Rose bent down to pick one of the objects up, a baseball cap with a dark stain on the brim.

“Yeah.” She eyed it with distaste. “From the people he’s killed.”

“I see.” Rose gently placed it down on the bed with the reverence of a grave. “We should leave post haste. John, can you-” Rose glanced over her shoulder. “John?”

John was still standing across the room by the window. His back was to them as he stared down at a table that was scattered with more trophies.

“John?” Rose walked toward him, leaning to the side to see what he was looking at. It was a plain white fedora, with several reddish-brown stains on it. Rose’s eyebrows drew together as John’s hands slowly reached out. His hands were shaking as they lifted the hat up. Rose stood silently beside him for a few seconds, then reached up to rest her hand over his wrist.

“John,” She said quietly, “We should…” She led off as something drew her attention away, toward the window. A faint buzzing was rising out of the back of her mind. Her eyes narrowed and her grip tightened on John’s arm. “We should…” Her snapped wide and she yanked John away from the shelf. “We should get away from the window, now!”

Dave strode toward them, drawing his sword. Rose yanked her needles out of her sash.

A black shape bloomed through the window and Rose dodged to the side as Jack rushed past her. His sword slammed into the wall. He yanked it out and spun around to face them. He snarled and his wings spread outwards as he raised his sword.

John flung his arms up and a wind roared up around the room. It picked up the items on the floor into a tornado around Jack. Jack barked and sliced a stuffed animal in half as it passed him. Dave lunged, and his sword crashed against Jack’s own before Dave jumped back to avoid a swipe meant to cleave him in half. Rose snapped her wands up and fired off a bolt of light. It hit Jack right between the eyes and made him stagger to the side. Rose felt a rush of triumph, but it dropped into horror when Jack stood up straight, shaking the sparks of light off his head. She stared at him in disbelief. Had she misfired? No, that attack had felt perfectly executed, strong enough to topple a tree. Jack opened his one good eye to glare at her, then snarled and stepped forward.

A blur of green caught Rose’s eye and suddenly Jade was in front of her, arms out as she stood between them and Jack. Jack yipped and jerked back in surprise. Jade stared him down, not moving a muscle.

“Bad dog.” She growled.

Jack whined and shifted forward, then back. His sword twitched and he barked in irritation, bidding her to move. Jade shook her head.

 _“He won’t be still forever,”_ Rose’s mind churned rapidly, _“He’ll push her aside in just an instant. We have one moment. I need-”_ Something caught her eye. The rings on Jack’s hand. Eridan’s? No, other rings, other trophies. One gleamed, seemed to call her attention. It was just a small moment, a passing notice, but she threw all her desperation and hope into it in that second.

She raised her needles and pushed her strength into the most powerful blow she could manage. A torrent of Light burst from her wands to hit Jack right at the wrist. Jack howled in pain, then went stumbling back as the severed limb hit the floor.

Rose felt a rush of dizziness and swayed a bit. Her hand managed to find a wall for support, and when she recovered she found that green smoke had begun to stream out of Jack. He shrieked in agony as the smoke hissed into the air, escaping his body and vanishing immediately. In the moment of shock and adrenaline, Rose couldn’t help but think of the dry ice displays they would do for Halloween every year.

The last of the smoke dissipated and a single black Carpacian stood before them. Rose stared at him, shocked at how ordinary he appeared.

Then he yanked a knife out of his belt and rushed toward Rose. Dave didn’t so much move than he flickered and reappeared at Jack’s side. His sword flashed and the next second Jack was hitting the ground, his body and head bouncing in different directions. Blood spewed from the severed neck to pool out across the floor.

Rose stared at the corpse, body tense and needles held ready. She glared at it, waiting for it to rise, to jump toward her, to explode, anything.

It wasn’t until Dave put his hand on her shoulder that she finally began to entertain the notion he was dead, that he wasn’t getting up, that it was over.

She didn’t faint, but she may have leaned rather heavily on Dave for a few seconds.

“It’s over,” She finally whispered, “He’s dead.”

Jade knelt down by the body, paying no mind to the blood soaking her dress as she turned the body over. “This…” She unraveled a necklace from his belt and held it up so they could see the white pendant hanging on it. “…is mine.” The pendant was shaped like a dog’s head, with bright green stones set in the eyes. Her eyes flashed melancholy for a second, then she shook her head and looped it around her neck. Reminded, Rose stooped down and tugged Eridan’s scarf off Jack’s neck, then took his rings as well, including the one that had caught her eye. John still had the hat tucked under one arm. Rose didn’t comment on it.

Lastly, Rose took a look around the room. It took a bit of searching, but she eventually found it. Another scarf, dumped off in a corner. The pink and purple stripes matched Eridan’s own design. She tucked it away into her back. Turning back, she saw Dave slide some shades into his pockets. This, she also didn’t comment on.

“We should get started on heading back.” Rose eyed the blood staining Jade’s dress. “Jade, you might want to change before we leave? Also, if you have anything else to pack…”

“Umhmmm…” Jade looked around the room. “Not…really.” Her face fell into a sober frown. “They didn’t really let me have much.”

“I see.” Rose glanced out the window. “Well, do you have any food or supplies lying around? It will take us a few days to get back to the portal.”

“ **Oh…”** Jade laughed and stretched her fingers out in front of her so they cracked. “I don’t think we have to worry about that! Where’s your boat?”

“Er-” Rose peered out the window. From this height and location, she could just see the top of the sail through some trees. “There.” She pointed at it. “Do you see-”

Rose blinked. The saltwater air hit her, bringing the sound of breaking waves. Her finger still hovered in the air, but it now pointed at nothing but open ocean. Her feet were planted securely on the boat, right where they had left it.

“…What-” Dave’s head whipped around. “-the fuck?”

“Ta-da~!” Jade clapped her hands, giggling. She winked and pointed to the necklace. “I **am** the true heiress to Bec’s power, after all!”

“I,” Rose stared at her, then nodded slowly, “I see.”

“I think I can actually get you wherever you need to go!” Jade flexed her fingers. “I’ve never actually had the chance to try it before, so uh, maybe give me a few practice tries?” Rose tilted her head to the side, unsure if Jade could possibly not be speaking in jest.

“Can you…really transport us anywhere in the world?”

“Anywhere in the **universe** ,” She corrected her.

“…Well, in that case.” Rose turned her gaze back to the tower. “Could you bring us back up to the tower? I have a few ideas for your practice tries.”

 

000

 

Far away, deep in the core of the Alternian empire, Jack's head thudded to the floor, spattering blood across the newly polished golden tiles. The members of the court gasped in surprise, shuffling away from it. All eyes turned to the woman sitting back on the throne, her mouth curled back in a deep scowl.

A note poofed into being to float down beside the head.

_With regards to the children of Lalonde, Ampora, Strider, Harley, and Egbert._

 

000

 

Karkat was leaning against the wall of the portal room when they arrived. He set an irate glare on Rose, then Dave, then on the last girl that he didn’t recognize, who was wearing a megawatt smile and had a massive stain of blood on most of her skirt.

“…Um-” As soon as Rose spoke Karkat flung his hands up and turned to walk out the door.

“THIS IS NOT MY PROBLEM!” He shouted, “KANAYA, THEY’RE BACK AND THEY BROUGHT SOME KID!”

Kanaya poked her head in as he left.

“He’ll be back. He will be unable to not make it his problem.” She looked them over. Seeing they were unhurt, her face broke into a smile of relief, then a stern frown. “If this kind of nonsense is going to become a habit, we may have to have a discussion.” Her eyes turned to Jade. “Who is this?”

“This is Jade,” Rose gestured to Jade, who beamed in response, “She was Jack Noir’s weakness. Also, Jack is dead.” Kanaya somehow managed to restrain any shock she felt into a single slowly raised eyebrow.

“Is he, now?”

“Yep.” Dave flashed her a thumbs-up. “Head chopped off and everything.”

“Well then,” Kanaya crossed her arms, “It seems there’s a lot of discuss. It’s late though, and Miss Jade needs a new-”

“HEY GUYS!!” Terezi screeched into the room and snapped her arms out. Her glasses were askew and she was holding her cane upside-down. She was also wearing a pair of dragon-printed pajama pants.

“All our spies just wrote back,” She snapped, “And they all just said Jack Noir’s fucking head landed in the Condesce’s throne room!”

Kanaya blinked at her, then turned back to the others to give them yet another raised eyebrow.

“Quite, a lot, to discuss.”

 

000

 

“You were raised by a Seadweller!?” Jane popped some chips into her mouth, her eyes not leaving Rose as she chewed.

“Yes, he was my Godfather.” Rose fished a few chips out of the bowl as well, then noticed the look of concern on her face. “He was a good man,” She added hurriedly, I…wish you could have met him. It would have been nice to have met a Seadweller on good terms.”

“Oh yeah! I’m sure there are good ones!” Jade glanced at the doorway. “Like, all the trolls here are really nice! Even Karkat, who I thought was kinda rude at first.” Rose hid her smirk behind another mouthful of chips. As Kanaya had promised, Karkat had abandoned his “not my problem” idea and was practically doting on Jade like an abnormally loud and grumpy father.

It appeared Jade had an affinity for Space Aspect magic, and Kanaya would be teaching her. The moment the four of them had been alone Jade had asked that they not mention the necklace to anyone, in case someone decided to confiscate it. This had led to a rather vague explanation for how exactly Jack’s head had shown up at the Condesce’s throne, but everyone involved had been too tired or frazzled to put much effort into the interrogation.

“I didn’t mean to imply he was bad, I guess I just kinda…” Jade looked away and pressed her fingers together. “Well, most of the trolls I’ve met were on the Condesce’s side, and the Seadwellers seemed um, particularly nasty, no offense.”

“Mm,” Rose nodded in understanding, “Perhaps you will meet Feferi sometime, and she could change your mind. She’s the heiress of the Alternian Empire,” Rose explained when Jade gave her a quizzical look. “Currently planning a rebellion, she’s far nicer than the Condesce.”

“Ohhh…” Jade looked down at her lap, tugging at the skirt of the dress Kanaya had gotten for her.

“I’ve seen her,” She said quietly, “The Condesce. She visited me sometimes. She was…” She rubbed her arm. “…mean.”

“Yes, I had that impression as well,” Rose answered.

“I think…” Jade’s voice dropped into a whisper. “I think she like, had this idea about me?” Rose quirked an eyebrow.

“An idea?”

“Like…” Jade twisted her skirt in her hands. “I think she thought I was gonna work for her one day,” Her eyes flashed with anger, “and I was like, as if! You killed my grandpa and my dog! And she was all like-” Jade waved her hands and rolled her eyes, “-‘Yer not gonna have a choice guppy!’ Ugh!”

“Well then.” Rose pressed her fist to her chin and put on a thoughtful expression. “…Dave, do you recall when we very narrowly escaped detection by the Condesce rescuing Eridan?” Dave cocked his head to the side.

“Yeah?”

“On the phone, she mentioned a weapon.” Rose mused, “She seemed awfully excited about it, too.”

“Uh, maybe?”

“Dear brother,” Rose’s tone turned serious. “Do you think she could have been referring to Miss Harley here? Could we have, quite possibly by chance, **taken** said weapon right from under her excited little nose?”

“Uhh…” Dave looked from Jade to Rose. “…Yeah, sure, I guess?”

“Oh my.” Rose covered her mouth. “What a terrible error. We have robbed the Condesce not only of Jack, but perhaps what she hopped would become **another** extremely powerful pawn in her grip.” Her mouth twitched upwards behind her hand. “How rude.”

Jade giggled while Dave snorted. Rose’s smile widened, than she glanced over at John. He was staring at the floor, a fistful of chips growing stale in his hands. He hadn’t spoken much at all in the entire conversation, a stark difference from his usual behavior.

“John?” Rose asked, and John raised his head to blink at her.

“Huh?”

“Are you ok?”

“Oh, uh,” He nodded, “Yeah! Just a bit bushed, I guess.” He got to his feet. “I’m uh, gonna take a nap, actually. See you guys later!” He skipped into the air and hovered his way across the room and out the door. Rose pursed her lips, then got up as well.

“I’ll be right back.” Dave shot her a look, which she returned evenly. He shrugged and turned his attention back to the chips.

“Don’t fall down a well.”

“I’ll do my best.”

She left the room as Dave started to explain to Jade that no, that wasn’t actually likely to happen. She walked swiftly down the hallway after John, turned the corner, and nearly bumped into him. He had stopped walking and was now standing off to the side, staring into space. Rose circled around him, then gently tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped and spun to face her.

“Huh? Rose? What’s up?”

“Did that hat belong to someone you knew?” Rose got right to the point. John jerked up straight, then shrugged and looked again. His expression looked a bit queasy as he rubbed his arm.

“It was, my dad’s, I think. I mean, I’m pretty sure.” Rose’s eyes went wide.

“Oh John, I’m sorry. I didn’t know, that Jack also…”

John laughed, but it was a weak, broken sound compared to his usual bursts of merriment.

“Yeah uh, it was a long time ago.” His fists clenched and he refused to meet her eye. “I, I thought I was kinda over it?” Rose frowned, then pulled the few psychology books she’d read together to form a good question.

“How did you deal with it when it happened?”

“Well uh,” John rubbed the back of his head. “A lot of stuff was going on, it was pretty hectic! I actually had to go into hiding for a while. I missed the funeral. I spent a lot of time training with my powers, and um, then I ended up traveling to a lot of different places. Before I knew it, it had been a few years.”

“Did anyone talk to you about it?” Rose probed. She was beginning to get an idea of his feelings.

“Well sure.” John shrugged again. “People would be like ‘I’m so sorry’ and I’d be like ‘oh yeah, thanks.’ I guess, I didn’t really take it to mean anything.”

“And how did you feel, seeing his hat?”

“It was…” John dug his teeth into his lip. “It was weird I guess? It was just a hat, but there was something-” His voice cracked and he swallowed. Rose unwrapped her sash and folded it up. “-S-Seeing his hat, he wore that hat every day. A-And it was on the shelf-” John’s eyes, blue as a clear sky, began to rain with tears. He gulped. “O-On the shelf w-with Jack’s t-t-troph…al’ cover’d ‘n bluh…” He tried to snort up his tears. Rose offered him her sash to wipe his face.

“That’s when it felt real,” Rose spoke gently, “That’s when it was real to you.”

“Ah knu i’ was real!” John scrubbed at his face with the sash, then with his sleeve. “I mean, ‘m noh stupid! Ah knu he wasn’t like…” He hiccupped. “I knu he wasn’t ona…business trip or somethin! Buh…” He took a shaky breath. “Buh that’s…what it felt like, I guess. He’s not…” John squeezed his eyes shut and dug his fingers into his cheek. “He’s not comin back…’M all alone…”

“John,” Rose set her hand on his shoulder, “We’re here. All of us are here for you.” John whimpered in response. Rose, only a little awkwardly, shimmied over to hug him from the side, wrapping her arms around his just-a-little-too-broad-to-be-easy chest and arms.

“You dad would be so proud of who you’ve become,” Rose murmured. She wasn’t sure where the words came from; they had bubbled out of her mouth before she had time to process them. Perhaps, she thought idly, someone somewhere was putting those words in her mouth.

“…Ugh.” After some time, John broke out of her hold to scrub at his face, which was now flushed and covered in tears and snot. “That’s so embarrassing.”

“Everyone cries, John.” Rose squeezed his arm. “I cried when my mother and Eridan died.”

“Yeah but you’re…” He led off. Rose cocked an eyebrow.

“A girl?” She suggested. John’s eyes swung off to the side.

“Nooooo I wasn’t gonna say that.”

“Are you sure?” Rose’s voice turned a little teasing. John snorted and rubbed at his face with his sleeve. He tried to give Rose her soiled sash back, but she shook her head and raised one hand in rejection.

“John, all four of us have lost our parents and guardians,” Rose told him, “It would probably be best that we talk about it from time to time together.” John shuffled his feet and shoved the sash into his pocket.

“I guess

“Why don’t you get some sleep, for now?” Rose patted his shoulder and glanced up at the bags under his eyes. “You really do look like you had a rough night.”

“Mmhm,” He nodded, then managed a faint smile. “Thanks Rose.”

“No trouble.”

He dissolved into a gust of wind, traveling down the hall toward his room. Rose sighed and leaned back against the wall. She slipped her hand into her pocket and pulled out the ring she had taken off Jack. It worked similarly to the pendant Jade had. From what she understood, Jade’s pendant was more a “shortcut” to accessing the power she was heiress to, and as she got stronger, she would have to rely on it less.

She would grow into quite the formidable force, even more so than she was now.

Rose slipped the ring back into her pocket. Jade hadn’t wanted to so much as touch it, and she wasn’t sure who in the university it should be given to. For now, she was keeping a hold on it.

“Yo, Rose?” Dave appeared in the doorway. “You alright?” Rose nodded as she slipped the ring back into her pocket.

“Yes, quite.”

“Cool, can you be my backup on setting Jade right on who’s the best Pokémon? She thinks it’s Pikachu, the poor misinformed girl.”

“It’s a classic,” Rose pointed out.

“Only the ignorant masses choose Pikachu.”

“I’m partial to Mismagius.”

“Yeah, because you’re goth.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> "Hoo hoo little children, let's see what's here for the good little boys and girls.  
> For the lonely girl I give friends.  
> For the sad windy boy I give closure.  
> And for the two twins here I give sweet sweet revenge."
> 
> Well technically, they're all getting revenge. This whole story can basically be described as a combination of Spy Kids and that one Paradox Space comic with the magical kingdom and the lost twins. Either that or "Four pissed-off orphans get revenge."


	17. War

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a plan is made, a battle is fought, and the world goes on.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are! Sorry for the delay. ;-; But it's here now! And I hope it doesn't disappoint!

“Well, it’s official,” Terezi leaned back and planted her hands on her hips, as if admiring a job well done. “The Condesce has declared an all-out war against Skaia, and is in the process of mobilizing.”

“Both the Black and White kingdoms have rallied around the death of the generals.” Kanaya pointed to the two countries on the map. “They’re consolidating their forces to assist in facing her.”

“Even with the generals dead…” A man who Rose was vaguely familiar with as the headmaster of the university squinted down at the tokens on the map. “The sheer number of her forces, and the technology and magic at their disposal, it will be no easy fight.”

Rose sat with her hands folded on the table, listening in on the plans. The room was rather crowded with people all older and in higher positions than her. Karkat and Terezi were standing close to the table, glaring down at the map. Kanaya stood behind them, hands clasped and listening intently. The headmaster was on another side of the table. The mayor of Skaia was also there, though he looked like he’d rather be somewhere else, and wasn’t contributing much aside from looking concerned. At the front of the table was Feferi. Her long gown had been replaced by a buttoned fuchsia coat and her waterfall of hair had been pinned back into a bun. She surveyed the table and the plans, eyebrows drawn tight together.

Rose appeared to be a tad out of place in the group, but no one had protested her presence.

It looked like a lot of the Condesce’s forces would be coming in by the air, so the conversation went around over what combination of airborne forces should be used.

“All the ships will be made of metal and engines.” Terezi declared, “But enough wind magic could disrupt the flight. As for crashing them, heavier artillery would need to be used.

“We should most likely limit the Breath magicians to incorporeal forms, then.” Kanaya examined a list on her tablet. “That limits our numbers, but it would be the safest.”

“What about the ground attacks?” Karkat glared down at the map of the city. “Will the walls hold?”

“Set Equius and Nepeta up over by the North gate,” Terezi answered, “We’ll take the East gate. Feferi,” She turned to face her and pointed to another section on the map. “You should know where all the main healing areas are, but for the most part we’re going to have you with Kanaya, who will transport the two of you around the field to provide aid.”

Feferi nodded. She had a dark but determined gleam in her eyes. In the dim war room, surrounded by friends and less familiar but trusted allies, she stood with her back straight and her head high. Rose realized this was a moment that she, the heiress of the empire, had been preparing for for her whole life. Rose wondered how long she had been waiting for the battle, if she had imagined it would take place on allied ground like this, if she had thought about what role she would be playing, if she was thinking about the sacrifices that would be made, or the ones that had been made already. Rose also wondered if she had been hoping it wouldn’t come so soon. Abruptness aside, Feferi Peixes looked resolute and prepared.

Rose didn’t say anything through the planning. She knew if she suggested fighting, everyone in the room would protest. Too young, too inexperienced, and, if the battle was lost, she was too valuable. She was most likely going to be evacuated with the civilians if things got bad.

That was **their** plan, anyways. She wasn’t going anywhere.

She stared down at the map, turning over each plan and position in her head. It was complicated enough to make her head spin. Nothing jumped out at her, and instead, she found herself wondering about what Eridan would be doing if he were here. Certainly, he would have been a powerful asset to the fight. Rose could imagine him in the room, arms crossed and scowling down at the map, insisting he be put where the action is, insisting he could fall whole battalions on his own.

Rose felt a pang in her chest and pushed it away. There was no time to be ruminating on that right now.

“That leaves one problem left,” Terezi’s voice dropped low, “The Condesce herself.” The room fell silent, then heads turned toward Feferi. She stepped forward and nodded.

“Her ship will be easy to spot,” She began, “She’s too prideful to have it otherwise. It will also be the most heavily guarded.”

Terezi crossed her arms and shifted back onto her heel. “If we take out the Condesce,” She said, “Most of the army will retreat, aside from maybe a few fanatics that will spring forward to avenge her.”

“Any idea how to do that?” The Headmaster asked with a tinge of hope. Terezi answered him with a grim frown.

Rose stared down at her lap. Feferi continued talking.

“Once the forces have engaged, we’ll have a powerful attack to her side, and in that distraction, I’ll take a small group to try to sneak in and take her by surprise.”

“We’re still going by that old plan?” Terezi’s voice held a bit of surprise. Feferi pressed her lips together.

“While we-” Her eyes flickered over to Rose, “-had expected certain people to be here for this moment, I’m certain we can find a Void magician for the stealth,” Her gaze dropped down to her hands, “and other magicians to take with me for the fight.”

“We have several competent Void magicians,” The Headmaster spoke up, “Ranging from levels 4, to one at level 6. We can-”

“It won’t work,” Rose murmured into her lap. All heads turned toward her.

“Yes, Rose?” Feferi’s voice was welcoming, though she couldn’t completely disguise the edge of anxiousness in it.

“It won’t work,” Rose repeated. She closed her eyes. “I’m sensing a valiant effort, but in the end the tide will turn against us.”

“The Condesce is a master of underhanded tactics,” Terezi pointed out, “A diversion and sneak-in would be hardly a surprise to her.”

Feferi bit her lip and her face flashed with worry before hardening again. “Rose, Terezi, do you have any other ideas?”

Terezi shook her head. Rose glared down at her hands.

“…No,” She finally said, then raised her head. “But give me a few hours.”

 

000

 

“Ok so we’ve got…” Dave held up the load in his arms. “Buncha mirrors and candles.”

“Gushers!” John raised a shopping bag, where brightly colored packets could be seen through the material.

“Magical enhancers!” Jade grinned and held up what looked like incense burners in both hands.

“And the most magically conductive chalk around.” Terezi grinned and held up several sticks between her fingers. “Straight from the banks of LOLAR itself.”

“Thank you, everyone.” Rose nodded to them. “Let us hope our efforts have not been in vain.”

“Well, we’re bound to get something.” Terezi tapped the stone floor with her foot. “I’m starting the north part of the circle here.” She knelt down while Rose took some of the mirrors and candles off Dave’s hands.

“Mm!” Jade sniffed as she handed Rose one of the enhancers. “Rose, are you wearing perfume?”

“Something like that,” Rose answered, “Special anointments for absorbing Light magic.”

“Rose,” Jade’s voice dropped as she put the enhancer in her hand. She leaned in, and her necklace swayed on its string. “I know I said it’s a secret, but that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna help. Definitely keep me in mind in your plan, ok?” Rose nodded.

“I will, I’m sure.”

“This probably would be more effective in a Light land,” Terezi muttered, “But LOLAR’s too dangerous at the moment, and LOMAT is in the Condesce’s land.”

“It will have to do.” Rose place the mirror down on the edge of the circle, then set one of the candles at the top of it. “Dave, can you put another mirror and candle opposite to this one?”

“Roger.”

“Don’t forget these!” John tossed her a few packets. “A good sugar-rush can do wonders!” Rose answered with a strained smile as she caught them.

“Thank you, John.”

“Rose.” Terezi rested one hand on her shoulder. “Remember, this is a lot of amplification. Pull out if it’s overwhelming you.” Rose nodded as she lit the candles.

“I understand.” She turned to the others. “Everyone should probably step back now.”

They all shuffled to the side of the room. Rose stepped into the circle, holding her skirt as she maneuvered carefully around the lit candles. She sat down cross-legged in the center and closed her eyes, back straight. She relaxed, opening herself to the Light around her.

 _“By the affinity of Light born within me,”_ She thought, _“Come and bring me guidance.”_

A tingling ran over her skin, then a feeling like a lightning bolt shot through her. She jerked, then forced herself to relax, letting the current run through her. Thoughts and ideas and knowledge were flowing around her. Carefully, she reached into the flow to pull at it. It yanked her forward, trying to pull her in. She grit her teeth and tugged back, trying to fish out the few bits of useful information she needed.

The power pushed and pulled back at her. She took a slow, shaking breath and formed what she wanted clear in her mind.

 _“I want to win this battle,”_ She thought, _“I want to protect my friends, this city.”_ Her hands clenched on her lap. _“I want to kill the Condesce. I want to end her rule.”_

She plunged herself into the flow of Light. It burned and blinded her and threatened to tear her apart. She clenched her jaw and her hand went up to grab the pendant around her neck. The points of the sun symbol dug into her palm. She used the pendant as a focal point to anchor herself as she forced herself onward, grabbing, yanking, pulling-

Rose fell forward onto her hands, gasping and staring at the floor. The others ran forward.

“Yo Rose!” Dave called out to her, hovering at the edge of the circle. “You alright?” Rose swallowed, then turned her head to look at them. Her eyes settled on Jade, hands bunched in her skirt and eyes wide in alarm. Her dog pendant hung still at her neck. Rose pressed her lips together.

“I have an idea.”

 

000

 

“Are you ready?” Rose asked. Jade nodded eagerly.

“You can count on me!” Rose offered a tense smile.

“I’m sure I can, Miss Harley.” Jade giggled, then glanced around. “You think Dave and John are ok?”

“I believe so,” Rose answered, “I trust in their abilities.”

“Me too!” Jade sighed and crossed her arms. “But I’m still worried!”

“Yes, that’s reasonable.” Rose’s eyes scanned the field. On the horizon, she could see a dark cloud approaching, on land and by air. It was hard to force her stomach to stop churning. She wouldn’t have eaten breakfast if not for the insistence from Karkat and Kanaya that she would need the energy. Now the tea and toast were sitting in her stomach, threatening to come up again.

She took a slow breath to calm herself, then pulled a crystal ball out of her bag. She closed her eyes briefly before peering into it. Images formed into its center. Equius was standing on the top of the gates, with a small oliveblood crouching beside him. Equius was dressed in thick chainmail with spiked brass knuckles on both hands. The oliveblood was dressed lighter in leather armor, and she had on a pair of clawed gloves. She stared on at the group ahead, then looked up at Equius. He extended one hand down to her. She placed her own in his, mindful of the claws.

The image shifted. Karkat and Terezi were standing together at another gate. Karkat was dressed in a chainmail shirt, armored pants, and a helmet. He held a pair of glowing sickles in either hand. Terezi was wearing a light chestplate and had extended her cane into its blade form. Karkat glanced at Terezi, and Rose saw his expression flash with an anxious concern before turning away. Without looking at him, Terezi reached over and grasped his shoulder.

The next picture showed Feferi and Kanaya. Feferi was dressed in a gleaming set of gold-dusted armor, with a helmet bearing her symbol. She stood on the walls, watching the approaching army. Kanaya stood nearby, dressed in an armored robe. At her belt rested a serrated blade that glowed with enchantments. Behind them stood a sea of trolls, all armed. The army, Rose noticed, had the hemospectrum more or less mixed among the group. Blueblood front-fighters stood side-by-side with lowblood psionics.

Feferi turned to face the crowd. Her mouth moved as she addressed them with words Rose couldn’t here. She took her dual-sided golden pitchfork and stabbed it toward the sky, making the crowd burst into cheers.

Rose let the images fade from the crystal and stowed it away again. Everyone was in position.

She didn’t dare scry John and Dave.

The cloud was growing closer. She could now make out the details. First came the land forces. A line of lowbloods marched at the front. Behind them were Highbloods riding on terrifying beasts, sporting bows, swords, and other weapons that seemed to have both efficiency and creativity in mind when it came to killing. Armored tanks lumbered behind them, bearing turrets for shooting and spiked fronts for ramming.

Above them were the airships. They flew in an intimidating formation. Painted in bright red, they bore spiked hulls and had the symbol of the Condesce painted on the front and sides

Rose’s gaze focused on the airship one in the center, much larger, much more ornate, flying at the front.

“That’s the one, right?” Jade was whispering all of a sudden. Rose nodded.

“You believe you can teleport us in?”

“Yeah!” Jade nodded. “I can already imagine it. Should I now?”

“Not yet.” Rose raised one hand, and Jade nodded quickly.

“Ok, right. And you have the thing?”

“Yes.” Rose fished the ring out of her pocket and held it up. “I’m not going to put it on just yet.”

“Whatever you say!” Jade rocked back on her heels, watching the ship approach.

The Condesce’s forces attacked first. Round metal balls the size of cars came flying up out of the army toward the city, propelled by psionics. They hit the first magical barrier and exploded on contact, making flashes of light ripple through the sky. Skaia returned fire with several beams of light flying into the army. Some were deflected by shields, one crashed into one of the tanks. Smaller shots of magic began to fly on both sides so the air was soon filled with lights like a kind of violent firework display.

The gates opened and the armies came streaming out. Rose saw Feferi at the front, astride some kind of giant, pure white horse-like creature, trident raised. Later she would fall back to support with healing, but in the moment, she was the symbol of valiance.

Rose had to wince a little when the armies met. Columns of magic burst out throughout the crowds. Screams and howls of victory and pain reached her ears. She dearly hoped to herself that there would be few casualties on their side, or even in total, since she wasn’t sure how much at least the lowbloods in the empire’s army wanted to be there.

They needed to end this as quickly as possible.

“How do you feel?” Rose asked. Jade shook her head.

“I’m really nervous, actually! I mean, isn’t that normal?” Jade laughed and brushed a lock of hair behind her ear.

It was then that a flash of red caught Rose’s eye. A pair of stud earrings, bright red with a pink center, were fastened to Jade’s ears.

The Condesce’s ship released a pulse of pink light outwards. It swept over the armies, appearing to do no harm, though it caused a bit of a panic. As the wave touched them, there was a sharp hum from the earrings, then Jade’s eyes went wide.

The humming rose to a harsh whine. Jade doubled over and screamed, clawing at her head and face. Rose took a step back, and one hand reached up to her needles.

Jade froze, then her arms dropped down to hang limp at her sides. She straightened and turned to face Rose. Her eyes had gone pure black with rims of red around the iris and pupil. Face blank and cold, she pointed at Rose.

The sunlight vanished as Rose found herself now standing in a darkened room. A soft hum rose from the metal floors, and the walls glowed with red lights. Several trolls stood around the room, all highbloods with hulking and powerful forms, all armed, all glaring at her. Across the room in front of Rose, there was a dais. On that dais was an ornate throne of gold that bristled with spikes and jewels. And on that throne sat the Condesce.

“Welcome...” She spoke in accented English, and her face split into a wide, sharp grin. “-To mah ship, lil gill.”

Rose’s hand went to her needles, and they vanished under her skin. Jade held them up in her own hand.

“Ah-ah...” The Condesce tutted and wagged a finger at her. “Fuckin rude a ya, gilly.” Rose reached into her pocket and found it empty. “Plannin to use this?” The Condesce held out the ring. She grinned and rested one shining pink nail against her lip. “Poor gill, didn’t get the memo that it wouldn’t work on humans?” She dropped it onto the table beside her. “And don’t think those two other kids will be stagin anythin. Lil Harley here knows where they are, so **I** know where they are, and they’re being rounded up as we speak.”

She leaned in, resting one elbow on her knee as she glared down Rose. The grin was still sitting smugly on her expression, her teeth glinting in the dim light. “I’ll be conchest with ya, lil guppy gill. I’ve been a step, hop’n jump ahead a ya since the beginning. Sendin a few idiots after ya? Pssh. Didn’t set me back when they turned dead. Figured sendin Kurloz was a win-win either way. Get you, or open a spot up for a better general. And ya think I’d stick Ampora in such a low-security prison?” Her grin widened. “Ya think I didn’t see you and yer kin shaking behind that wall?” Rose didn’t answer. “Ya think I was just gonna let you waltz into that island and take mah weapon?” She flicked a hand at Jade. “Puh-lease. I might as well have wrapped her and sent her to your doorstep, and ya would’ve welcomed her right in anyways.” She hummed and tapped her nails against her jaw. “Shame Jack had to be there in that moment, but whatevs.” Rose stayed silent, her face still as stone. The Condesce’s eyebrows drew together in just a little annoyance.

“Well?” The Condesce prompted, “Yer in the presence a royalty. Ain’t ya gonna bow?” Rose scowled, then slowly bent her chest forward into a shallow curtsy. Her pendant fell past her clothes and hung down. The Condesce pointed one sharp glittering nail at it. “Wazzat?”

“It was a gift,” Rose answered evenly, “From my godfather, Eridan Ampora.” The Condesce hummed, then snapped her fingers. Jade twitched her hand in response. The pendant disappeared and reappeared around the Condesce’s neck. She smirked and fiddled at it with one hand.

“Pretty lil trinket. Not bad.” Rose didn’t answer. The Condesce went on with a flick of her hand, “Still, he probably coulda found somethin better.” She grinned. “ **I** could find you somethin better. Necklaces, rings, I could cover ya in pretty **and** powerful stuff.” She leaned forward, and her voice took on a sweet tone akin to that of cherry cough syrup. “So how about it sweetie? Join me.”

“After you murdered so many close to us?” Rose answered, “I think not.” The Condesce laughed. It was a low, creeping, purring chortle. She leaned back and rested her chin on the back of her hand. With her other hand she raised one finger. A soft green glow shone at the tip of her nail. Rose felt a sudden wave of exhaustion. Her head spinning, she fell to her knees and gasped. Her chest was going tight, her vision darkening at the edges.

The Condesce snapped her fingers and the feeling vanished. Rose took a slow breath, then looked up at her. The Condesce chuckled again.

“Gill, I know yer clever, or at least not **that** stupid. You join me or you die. I just haven’t decided what it’ll be.” She gestured to Jade. “You ain’t gettin much of a choice. Just thought I’d throw it out there, give ya a chance to beg.”

“I am not going to die,” Rose answered as she got back to her feet. Her tone was still calm, and the Condesce frowned at her persistent composure. “and I am not going to join you.” The Condesce snorted. Rose raised her voice. “Because I have something you do not have.”

“Oh?” The Condesce answered sarcastically. “Is it love? Righteousness? Justice? I’ve heard all a those right before I squished thousands a people.”

“No, though I like to think I have more of those than you do.” Rose shifted her feet apart. “I have a brother, Condesce.”

A wind flared up around the room, tossing a few of the lighter trolls off their feet and making anything loose scatter and toss around the floor. In the confusion, two hands materialized around Jade and plucked the earrings off her. Jade gasped collapsed to her knees. Dave flickered to her side and grabbed the needles out of her hand.

The Condesce rose from her chair, teeth bared and eyes livid. The wind picked up her hair and whipped it around her face. She snarled and raised one hand, pulling green light into the center.

“Rose!” Dave tossed her needles at her. Rose caught them and whipped them around. In the split-second she could afford, she aimed for the Condesce’s chest, right for where her Light pendant rested.

She fired with every ounce of power in her body and the air around her. The bolt flew straight and hit the pendant dead center.

An explosion of light filled the room, blinding everyone. Rose squeezed her eyes shut for as long as she dared before looking again.

The Condesce faced her, feet spread apart. Then she fell to her knees. A waterfall of fuchsia blood spattered to the ground, falling from the gaping wound in her chest. The Condesce’s hand raised halfway toward the wound, then fell limp. Her body crumpled a second later.

For a moment, the room held only silence. Then one of the Condesce’s trolls, a Seadweller standing near Rose, shrieked in outrage and lunged forward.

Jade raised her head to look at the attacking troll, then extended one hand out to her. The troll vanished into thin air. Jade turned to the other trolls in the room, then snapped her finger, they all disappeared as well. She groaned and let her head drop down.

“I’ve got a killer migraine right now.” Dave helped her to her feet while John materialized beside her, still holding the earrings.

“Uh, what should I do with these?” Jade glared at them, and they shattered under her eyes. John let the pieces fall to the ground. “Oh, ok.”

“So like,” Dave looked over at the body, “Did we, just do that?”

“We certainly did.” Rose came over to rest one hand on his shoulder. “We made this happen.”

“Wait but, how??” Jade winced at her own voice and rubbed her temples. “I thought- The plan-”

“It wasn’t the real plan,” Dave answered, “Sorry Jade, you got duped. Me and John were actually hiding here since before you got taken over.”

“What? How?” Jade squinted at him, then at John. “How did you get here? How come-”

“Jade, Jade I’m so sorry.” Rose rested her hands on her shoulders to look at her. “We had another plan. You teleported Dave and John in here earlier, and Terezi had some Mind magicians erase your memory.” Jade’s mouth fell open and she blinked rapidly.

“What??”

“You agreed to it,” Dave pointed out. “Remember, you woke up from that nap you took right before the battle?”

“But I-” Jade pressed her palms to her temple and squeezed her eyes shut. “Ugh, my head hurts way too much for this.”

“We’ll have them reverse the process later.” Rose patted her arm. “For now, since the crew is gone, this ship is most likely going to crash soon. Could we call on your powers for just one more thing?”

 

000

 

“Holy shit,” Karkat breathed, lowering his sickles to look upward.

“What?” Terezi kicked an enemy back before glancing over at him. “What is-” She paused then raised her head to sniff the sky. “Crap, is the Condesce landing her ship?”

“No.” Karkat stepped a little closer to her. “I’m pretty damn sure that thing is crashing.”

“Seriously??” Terezi sniffed again. “…Shit.”

The ship was listing forward, dipping nose-down toward the ground. Terezi whistled and leaned back on her cane. The battle was starting to die down as people stopped to watch the ship.

The crowds split and fled as the shadow of the ship came over them. The nose plowed into the ground, stopped, then the ship split vertically through the middle and the pieces crashed to the ground. The remains of the ship shuddered, then several columns of smoke burst out from areas around it.

“…Oh my God.” Terezi said, “Were…those idiot kids in there?”

“They better not have been!” Karkat snarled and stalked forward, intent on climbing down from the wall and running over there.

“Wait!” Terezi grabbed his shoulder and pointed. “Is there something there on top?!”

“What?” Karkat squinted through the smoke and dust. “I can’t see shit!”

“Neither can I so no excuses!” Karkat rolled his eyes. The smoke stirred and shifted, as if a gust of wind was forming directly from the ship to dissipate it. In the clearing air, Karkat could make out several shapes.

Rose, Dave, John, and Jade stood together on the hull of the ship, their clothes bright splashes of color against the red ship and the blue sky. At their feet was the body of the Condesce, still leaking magenta fluid.

“Are you fucking me right now?” Karkat whispered.

“Those four…” Terezi rubbed her chin, her mouth twisting up into a wide smirk. “I don’t know if I should be amazed or terrified.” A second later she burst into laughter and swung her arm around Karkat’s neck, making him gag and stumble. “Eh, it’s more fun to be proud! Lookit that, Karkat! Our pupils are out slaying empresses!” She jabbed her cane at the sky and shouted. “HEY AMPORA! LALONDE! AND ALL YOU OTHER GUYS! ARE YOU SEEING THIS?? YOU BETTER BE FUCKING PROUD!”

“TEREZI STOP SCREAMING IN MY EAR!” Karkat growled and pushed her away, then looked down at the field below them. All throughout the army, the Condesce’s forces were dropping their weapons. Some retreated, mostly the highbloods, riding away on their steeds or vehicles to size up the situation and decide their next moves. A few still fought, but were being quickly outnumbered.

“C’mon.” Karkat headed toward the stairway. “They’re gonna need help getting back to the university.”

“Probably not,” Terezi answered, but followed him down anyways.

They found a split in the crowds had formed when they came out. Too short to see exactly what it was, Karkat growled and began to shove himself forward. Terezi followed behind, chuckling to herself.

It was Feferi. She was walking on foot, toward the fallen ship. Kanaya was a few steps behind her, and Karkat and Terezi fell into step with her.

Rose, Dave, Jade, and John had somehow gotten to the ground to meet them, along with the body. Feferi stared down at it, then raised her head to look at them.

“Who did it?” She asked. Rose stepped forward.

“I did.” The plain was silent. No one moved. Even the air had gone dead. Rose paused, then grasped at her skirts and tucked her leg in to give Feferi a careful curtsy. “And I did it as your ally, your Highness,” Rose spoke loud enough that those around them could hear. She raised her head to look Feferi in the eye. “-Or, your Majesty. I hope the relationship between your empire and Skaia will be a cordial one.

Feferi’s eyes softened and her mouth slid up into an amused expression.

“Of course, Rose. I hope so as well.”

Feferi turned to face the armies. She raised her hand, and a cheer ran through the crowd. Rose knew it was impossible to tell from the deafening roar, but it seemed like not just Skaia’s forces were cheering.

Kanaya was the first to bow. Karkat sighed, then followed suit along with Terezi. It travelled outwards, many of the trolls taking the signal to bow as well. Karkat straightened up and glanced around for anyone who looked like they wanted to end Feferi’s rule immediately with a sneak attack.

“…Well,” Rose spoke up. He looked back to find her carefully stepping around the Condesce’s body, “This has been, exciting, but I think-” She stumbled but Dave was already there, catching her and holding her steady. Karkat swore and stomped over to her.

“-I would like to rest for a while.” Rose finished, pulling herself up with Dave’s help. Karkat rolled his eyes.

“I don’t even know which parent you got that lethal amount of spunk from.” Rose offered a pained smile.

“All of them.”

“C’mon.” Karkat helped her stand up. “Do you need me to carry you back inside?”

“I got it!” Jade chirped and raised one hand.

The five of them disappeared. Kanaya sighed and pressed her hand to her forehead. She didn’t need to be present to hear Karkat’s baffled screaming in her mind.

 

000

 

Rose sat up on the windowsill, chewing on the fruity-centered cookies. She had a plate of them in her lap that she had ferreted away from the dining hall. She stared out the window. Banners and streamers were flying in the wind and the shouting and cheering reached her from the streets. People had wasted no time in celebrating. She didn’t blame them.

She heard footsteps up the stairs and glanced over to see Dave.

“Sup,” He raised a hand in greeting and strode over to her. “How’s our heroine of the day?” Rose offered a wry smile.

“I hope you don’t believe for a minute I could have done it without you, John, and Jade.” She offered him the plate. “Cookie?” He grabbed one and hopped up onto the windowsill with her.

“We wouldn’t have gotten anywhere without your plan.” He pointed out. Rose just shrugged. “Did you hear, Feferi wants us to be there for some ceremony tomorrow.”

“Yes, Karkat told me.” She sunk her teeth into the fruit center and ran her tongue over her lip. “It may be the first of many.”

“Great.”

“…Is it over?” Rose asked. “All of it?” Dave leaned back against the glass.

“Define ‘it’.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Well,” Dave grabbed another cookie, “I think the Condesce is definitely done. So is Jack.”

“And Eridan and mom,” She continued, staring out the window. Dave shrugged.

“Yeah.”

“But-” Rose drummed her fingers against the plate. “I suppose, not everything is over.”

“Nope.”

“There will be more to do.”

“Yup.”

“But well,” She held her cookie out to him, “I think planning for that can wait at least until tomorrow.” Dave nodded and tapped his own cookie against hers like a toast.

“Hell yeah. Bet I can eat more cookies than you.”

 

000

 

That night, Rose dreamed of swirling mists in a dark world. Whispers of voices, flashes of scenery, appeared and dissolved as quickly as they had come.

And Dave was there, standing beside her, the only solid thing in this world. He looked over at her, then out at the mists.

“Is this a dream?” He asked her. Rose reached out to clasp his hand.

“I think so, but also, not quite.” She caught figures solidifying out of the shifting shadows. “Someone is there.”

Two silhouettes stepped toward them. Rose took a sharp breath in. She recognized them, the slim, curvy figure of the first, the curls that bounced around her incorporeal form, and the second one, the way he stood tall, the cloak dancing around his ankles, and of course his two jagged horns sprouting from his head.

“Rosey, sweetie,” The first spoke up. Her tone shook with both unbearable joy and sadness. “And Dave. You’ve both done so well.”

“Rose,” Dave whispered to her, “Is that-?” Rose nodded.

“Dave,” Rose gestured to the ghost, “That’s our mother, Roxy Lalonde. Mom, this is Dave.” Dave was silent for a long moment, then he raised his free hand, slowly, in a stiff wave.

“Sup.” It was too indistinct to tell, but Rose somehow knew just how Roxy was smiling right now.

“Sup, lil dude.”

“Is this-” Rose looked around them, then back at the two figures, “-real?” The second figure snorted and crossed his arms.

“You tell us,” Eridan answered, then after a pause he went on with a touch of embarrassment. “I mean, I say it is. Do you trust us?”

“Yes.” The words were out before Rose could think about it. “It’s really you.” Eridan nodded in satisfaction. “Are Jade and John here?” She asked, “They, They also had people they lost.”

“They have a different affiliation,” Roxy explained, “I can’t say whether they’re having something similar.” Roxy took a deep, slow breath and her shoulders sagged.

“Oh Rosey, Davey,” She began, “I’m so sorry, I wasn’t there with you as you grew up.” Her gaze turned to Dave. “I’m especially sorry to you, Dave.”

“It’s cool,” Dave answered. Roxy opened her arms out to him. Dave hesitated, then stepped forward to accept the hug. It lasted a long time, understandably, then Roxy opened one arm and gestured to Rose. She found her pride didn’t prevent her from stepping forward as well. Her mother’s arm was soft and gentle, and Rose caught the faint scent of her perfume.

“You two did damn well,” Eridan said as they broke off. “Killin the Condesce, who woulda thought?”

“Perhaps I learned some of your ruthlessness,” Rose suggested. Eridan’s fins jerked up in panic. “It was a joke,” Rose added quickly, “…Partly.”

Another figure caught her eye, standing a ways away. His back straight like Eridan, hands dug into his pockets. Rose turned to face him and Dave, noticing him as well, moved a little closer to Rose.

“…Well?” Rose asked. The figure shrugged.

“Can’t say you did bad,” He answered.

“Yeah well,” Dave said, “if you had, I would have told you to shove it.” Dirk shrugged.

“Fair enough.” He paused, then went on, his tone changing a little. “Time moves differently here. I’ve done a little thinking.” He shrugged again, and his head turned away. “At least enough to think I probably deserved what I got. That’s all.”

“You guys still have a lot left to learn,” Eridan grunted, “Ya set the bar pretty high already.”

“But we’ll be keepin an eye on ya!” Roxy promised, “You’ll do a-ma-zing!”

“You’ve got each other,” Eridan said, “And the others. Don’t think you’re alone.” Rose nodded, and a faint smile managed to grow on her lips.

“Eridan, mom, thank you for everything.” She felt her eyes beginning to burn with tears. “I, I love you both.”

“We love you too, sweetie,” Roxy answered while Eridan nodded, “Both of you. You take care of each other, ok?”

“We will,” They answered in unison. Roxy laughed.

“I bet ya will.”

“Time’s grownin short.” Eridan raised one hand in farewell. The mist was rising up, becoming thicker, and their shadowy figures were fading. “I think everythin’s been said, so,” He paused, then went on, “so long, for now.”

“Remember to brush your teeth!” Roxy chirped. Rose smiled. The tears were running full down her face now.

“Yes mother.”

The mists took over, covering everything, then fading into darkness.

Rose opened her eyes to Aradia’s grinning face hovering over her.

“Rise and shine!” She cheered. Rose sat up, rubbing her eyes. Dave stirred as well. He had fallen asleep on her bed again.

“About time,” Karkat grunted from where he was leaning on the doorway. “You’re going to be late for that big-ass celebration that Feferi’s planning.”

“Oh dear,” Rose stretched and yawned, “I would certainly abhor missing such an occasion as that.”

“Oh hush,” Karkat huffed and waved a hand at them, “A bit of advice, have your outfit planned out before you meet with Feferi, or else she’ll be dressing you in ruffles and way too much pink.

“Noted.” Rose hopped out of bed with Dave behind her.

“Oh she already has the outfits!” Aradia piped up. “I saw them! They’re all pink and gold and covered in flowers!”

Dave made a face of horror while Rose smirked.

“We’ll have to see if we can sway her then.”

“One more thing before I get off your asses.” Karkat up two small boxes. “Here.” Rose took one of the boxes and opened them. Her eyes went wide at the contents.

“We were poking around Eridan’s stuff,” Karkat explained, “Apparently he had these made for you.” Rose pulled out one of the necklaces: a gold chain with a pendant in the shape of a pink cat. “Do you know what that is?”

“My mother’s signature symbol,” Rose answered, “She had it stamped on all her boxes, and had it on a few other things as well.” She turned to look down at the matching necklace still in the box, this one with Eridan’s zig-zag symbol.

Karkat dug his hands into his pockets. “He always was a secret sentimental.”

“You’re one to talk,” Terezi commented from where she was leaning against the wall in the hallway outside. Karkat rolled his eyes and held the other box out at Dave.

“He had two made for you as well. Must have had the job done damn fast.” Karkat looked between the two of them. “I guess anything else he left behind would be left to you two as well.” He cocked an eyebrow at them. “You aren’t going to burn it all, are you?”

“Of course not.” Rose clipped the necklaces around her neck, letting them clink together against her chest. Karkat just shrugged.

“Deal with it later. C’mon.” He headed for the door, Aradia trailing behind. “We’ve got a shit ton of people to meet, and we’ve kept John and Jade waiting long enough.

“Very well,” Rose answered. She turned to Dave, then held out her hand. Dave took it without hesitation, and they walked out after him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> They walked straight to the showers, where they cleaned up then changed out of their pajamas, THEN they went walking out to a new beginning.
> 
> I guess Jade decided that the nifty red earrings the Condesce made her wear were too much of a pain to take out, or something, despite that she could literally have snapped her fingers and taken them out. Maybe they conditioned her to like them.
> 
> Rose may have the tiniest crush on Feferi. And somewhere in the afterlife, Roxy it peering down at her and hollering, "YO ERI SHE'S GOT THE SAME TASTE AS YA! THAT'S ADORABLE!"

**Author's Note:**

> And this is, the end! Thank you everyone who read my fic and extra thank yous to everyone who left kudos and comments you really kept me going!   
> Also thanks to my friend who beta read for me and put up with my very high sensitivity to criticism. "Don't you think this is redundant?" "Meh." "Maybe use different wording here?" "Meh." "Am I being too harsh?" "Meeeeeh."
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed my work and you go on to live wonderful and fulfilling lives! Thank you!!


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